Reunion
by RPWriters
Summary: After training so hard, after leaving his home, his friends, everything - for revenge, for Itachi - he had been beaten, dammit. Shippuden, eventual SasuNaru.
1. Sight Seeing

http :// dilemmalicious . deviantart . com/art/Reunion-in-colour-102863048

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~ REUNION ~**

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Chapter I:**

_**Pain.  
**_It throbbed through his brain like sharp stabbing knives, digging through his grey matter, fraying each and every nerve into tiny particles, split, broken.  
Dying.  
He could feel it coming upon him; breathing was laboured. His chest ached.  
Scratch that.  
Everything ached. His chest, his ribs, his hands, his _face_. Everything living fibre of him was screaming in union, a blood curdling cry of try and utter pain.  
Like any dying animal, he simply wanted to crawl beneath a rock and let it end; he had long forgotten who he was, where he was. His purpose. His being.  
Everything except the agonizing that refused to go away.

And every now and then, flash came back; horrifying, deadly, never ending flashes, and _**redredredpainpainpain**_.

Jarring broken, mind numbing, howling _agony_ searing through his face.

Through his _eyes_.

_**Fingers; long elegant, the nails a shade of crimson - tinged with blood.  
Squirming, escape; but there was nothing. The cold, sharp wall bit into his back; bit against his flesh. Warm blood ran in rivulets down him; everything was blurred regardless, but he could still see them. Closerclosercloser - and then pain. Everything gone but mind numbing, howling screaming agony that seared through him like a wave - mutilated flesh and bloodbloodblood the only things he could remember.**_

And now he was here. At last, lying at the gates of death.  
He knew he had been defeated - he knew that the air pulsing through him, the blood running sluggishly through (and out) of his veins was the last. Everything was black - but it didn't matter now, because the pain was slowly fading away and was replaced by exactly that - the black. It surrounded him, every direction, every turn. Their was no escaping the darkness that encased - _suffocated -_ him. Breathing was a task now. Trialing. If he stopped... would the darkness simply swallow him? That's all he wanted.  
He wanted that pain to go away. He supposed he had simply closed his eyes; he didn't want to see what had been done to his body.  
Or rather, his corpse.

That's all that would be left of him. Bones, to be picked at by the crows.  
Darkblackebonycrows.  
The swarmed him now; beneath their velvet wings, he saw blazing red eyes, and sharp, cruel beaks.  
'_Ironic_,' he though quietly to himself, though he wasn't quite sure why. But it was enough. Because the wings were closing around him now- the crows struck down, and brought the darkness with them.

Cold, comforting darkness, that swallowed the pain, and made everything simply stop.

_Nothing._

~x~

"Hinata! See what's going on at 4 o'clock!" ordered Kakashi's tightly-controlled voice. Naruto could barely restrain himself from teleporting up to Kakashi-sensei to see in that direction himself. He was so close! He was _this close_ to finding that bastard and hauling his sorry butt back to Konoha.

He hid his trembling hands in the folds of his heavy cloak as Hinata slowly, agonisingly hesitatingly, reported. Ten kilometres away... powerful chakra... _Amaterasu_...

"Move out at top speed!" Naruto bit out before vanishing in a blur of speed. He'd had to move suddenly, for a multitude of reasons - the most prominent being that his face was only a second of weakness from cracking and showing his hidden emotions.

Sai had always teased him about his bonds with Sasuke; asking blandly why Naruto would waste so much time searching for a traitor. Sakura's eyes had taken on a bewildered look, tempered only by her own determination, when the blond shinobi declared repetitively that he would bring Sasuke back, even if it killed him. Kakashi had accepted Naruto's single-minded obsession without many words; but by now Naruto had started to question himself. As much as it hurt him to think it, he had come to the conclusion that his desire to get Sasuke back to Konoha was more than just him fulfilling a promise to Sakura. It was something he was doing for himself; his life's mission, if he could be so corny.

But where did that leave him?

Even with his mentality of acceptance of all, and his wish to forgive, he knew that what he was doing for Sasuke was on another level. A level which was slowly taking over everything - his thoughts, his goals, his _life_.

By the time he'd reached this far in his reflection, he had shut the thoughts away and ignored the way they were slowly growing in the back of his mind.

~x~

Tobi grinned from behind his mask as he watched the chakra signals approach; little did they know, it was far too late.  
Which was almost a shame, but one piece of the playing board meant little to him. It just meant one less obstacle; one less little kink in his ultimate plan.  
Zetsu's huge jaws had emerged swiftly; he had wasted no time in informing his leader to what had happened. What was going on around him.  
Tobi had been barely able to restrain a chuckle; and now, here came the cute little friends, skipping along to 'save the day'.

Too bad the hero was too late.  
Without further ado, he emerged from behind the thick trunk; cloak swirling lazily round his ankles, as he awaited them, smirk pulling at his lips, sharingan swirling lazily, a dull red orb in the sea of orange that served as his mask.  
"So you're sure, Zetsu?"  
A rather evil smirk pulled at the strange shinobi's lips.  
"Positive, Leader-sama. It is over. And Itachi..." He was interrupted by a rather malicious cackle from Tobi.  
"Perfect," he purred, before fixing his eye upon their new guests; this would be fun.

"Hinata-chan?" Kiba's voice called over the roaring of the wind in their ears. "Can you see them?" He, Shino, Yamato-taichou and Hinata had been assigned to track down and observe Tobi while Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura followed up Sasuke's whereabouts.

"Yes - there are two of them," Hinata's replied, her Byakugan activated as she peered ahead. "The two from before; the man in the orange mask and the stranger with a plant..."

"Remember not to underestimate them," Yamato interrupted, voice emotionless, as befitting an ANBU member. "They are two of the strongest members of Akatsuki..."

And then they were there; the four Konoha ninja nestled silently in the treetops, able to look down on Tobi and Zetsu. The two of them were looking in the same direction, almost as if waiting for somebody.

Tobi flicked his gaze up; ahhh, there they were.  
He gave them a brief smile, though knew they couldn't see it - it didn't matter though, because that's all they needed to do. Annoy them. Perhaps separate the party, kill a few off.  
Zetsu gaze his strange, throaty chuckle, before sinking back into the branches, already transporting elsewhere.  
With another grin, and a flick of fingers that could have passed for a wave, Tobi disappeared too; making sure however, not to transport, but to simply move - strides as fast as lightning, carrying him swiftly away.

Without a word, Yamato flicked up two fingers and then motioned at each member before following Tobi with silent leaps. Shino followed after Yamato after a quick glance showed Hinata and Kiba jumping in the opposite direction, following Zetsu's chakra signature.

~x~

As Sakura approached the ruins of the last Uchiha refuge, she could literally feel a sense of icy-cold dread wash through her system. Black flames were licking tiredly at the ashes of the forest around them; the air was thick with the scent of blood; a smog of crushed stone was beginning to settle.

"I-Is Sasuke-kun there?!" she demanded of Naruto, who was a few hundred metres in front of her. He didn't reply, but Sakura pushed on, her super sensitive chakra senses picking up on another, faint (_dying_) chakra signature.

And oh _God_, it was _familiar_....

"Sa-Sasuke-kun!" she cried desperately, feeling the last of his will slipping away as his chakra signature spiked and then faded. She ignored Naruto's frantic look at her as she arrived at the sight of the battle - the youngest Uchiha was sprawled out on the ground alone, body bleeding sluggishly from innumerable wounds on his body.

As the medic in her immediately set to work, examining him in quick, knowing glances, her eyes came to rest on his face, and a shock wave ricocheted through her. Her hands were already shaking; but now she couldn't still them. Her face was already white, but now her vision was reeling. She wasn't seeing this. She couldn't be. She must be hallucinating. She wanted to be sick. This couldn't be happening...

Lying cold and broken in front of her, bleeding and dying, was Uchiha Sasuke, the man she'd come to love, the man who had declared time and time again that he lived for vengeance.

Lying in front of her was Uchiha Sasuke, with his eyes ripped out of their sockets.

Uchiha Sasuke, dying by the hand of his elder brother.

~x~

For a few, brief moments, he breathed again. The air tasted of copper, and blood, but he didn't care. It was the most beautiful breath he'd ever made; simply because he thought the other had been his last.  
Before the pain came crashing down upon him once more, knocking the breath from his throat like an anvil. Each gasp was haggard - but at least it was air. Sweet, burning, painful air, taken in to broken lungs, crushed beneath broken ribs, held together by broken skin.  
The pain lanced through his frame once more, once again originating from his _eyes_.  
All he knew was that he couldn't see. Didn't know what was happening around him.  
And worst of all, something was leaning over him; something warm, and from what he could scarcely sense, using chakra.  
He didn't try to blink; the pain ricocheting through his entire frame warned him not to. He didn't try to speak; his voice would be nothing but a hoarse whisper, if anything. Gritting his teeth from the effort, he slowly twitched his fingers. Pain lanced through his arm, and he gasped, a short fast breath, to stop himself crying out in pain. So now he was completely unprotected, with some unknown force upon him; he could scarcely remember anything, his brain too fragmented from the pain.  
And for the minute, he was blind.  
He stopped attempting to move, focusing his slowly replenishing energy on taking heavy breaths of rich, musty air. Later, when he wasn't a breathing corpse, when he wasn't focusing on blocking the searing agony from his mind, he could figure out what the hell was going on.

~x~

Her eyes were tearing up, but Sakura couldn't afford to waste even the second it would take to wipe them. Her hands glowed brightly, trembling slightly as they came to rest on the Uchiha's chest. Sasuke's breathing was erratic; no doubt his heart was pumping wildly but sporadically. Each time he tried to draw a breath, she could hear his throat rasp as it tried to draw air through blood and damage. She couldn't help but think that she had hoped, prayed, _believed_ that Sasuke would come to his senses, but... here he was. A broken, defeated, _blind_ body, abandoned in the midst of the ruined Uchiha estate.  
"Kakashi-sensei, check his neck for spinal injuries and then turn his head to the side!" she ordered breathlessly, mind slightly detached as she literally poured her chakra into Sasuke's own system. "Naruto, check his pulse in his neck and wrist," she added as she moved her hand and felt Sasuke's heart beating feverishly. "And then check that there's no one else here."  
Sasuke's rasping breaths turned to choking as the silver-haired man carefully turned Sasuke's head to the side. Blood began to drip from the side of his mouth and Sasuke's body was racked with coughs as he subconsciously tried to clear his airway.  
"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun, can you hear me?" Sakura cried out. She moved one glowing hand to rest on Sasuke's, and began healing the scars and burns which crossed over his porcelain skin. "Sasuke-kun if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

Sasuke's lungs burned. Blood clogged his airways as gentle fingers turned his head to the side. Something was pressed gently on his chest, pushing down on wounds that stung with a new pain; what the hell were they doing?  
His lips pulled into a snarl, as warm, wet like dripped from his jaws and clogged his senses. Everything tasted, smelled of copper and blood. The scent was strong, and putrid. Swimming in ones life juices is never a pleasant experience.  
Without warning, something brushed against his fingers. Something warm, and tingling, and making the pain ebb away a little, and go back into that comforting blackness that had cloaked him before. Except this one was different, because he could still hear some sort of annoying buzz;

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun, can you hear me?"

The girl's (he could tell from the pitch of her voice - '_So familiar,'_) hand tightened about his own, and without thinking, ignoring the agony that pounded through broken fingers at such a movement, twitched in response. He could feel her chakra slowly seeping through him - healing scars to scabs, and slowly mending broken bones. Pain was ebbing in every direction, and just leaving... _darkness._

At the slight response, the tears which were gathering in the corners of Sakura's eyes began to fall, streaking down her face in salty channels. "He's conscious!" she breathed in wonder, before wiping her eyes and setting to work, with (if it were even _possible_) more fierceness than before. Her hands, steady now, danced softly about Sasuke's torso, focusing on internal organs first - one of his lungs had collapsed, the other was damaged - _Good heavens, how was he breathing?!_ - and the resultant blood loss was seeping through his body. He'd have a nice lot of bruises soon... Innumerable bones were broken, but Sakura wasn't even going to think about healing those yet. The nerves along his spine had been damaged, and she had to fix those _now_!  
As her hands reached Sasuke's neck, she hesitated from her healing for the slightest of seconds to send a burst of chakra into the top of his spine; dulling but not entirely expelling the pain signals which were firing continuously. If she'd stopped Sasuke's body from feeling pain altogether, it would have had rather severe repercussions, not only on the Uchiha's capability to recover himself, but also on her chakra - she was starting to feel lightheaded as her energy left her in great, rushed bursts. Her gaze sometimes flickered, or blurred for a second before she forced her eyes to focus. So far she'd avoided looking at Sasuke's face, and the glaring lack of those deep black eyes.  
"Sakura-chan!"  
Only now did she pull out of her single-minded focus and pay attention to the outside world. Naruto was shaking her shoulder gently, a look of fear and worry mingling on his face. "Sakura-chan, you're all white!" he exclaimed, once she turned to face him, about to tell him to find some bandages, and soldier pills as well. Naruto's face was frowning, talking to her desperately, but Sakura couldn't understand what he was saying.  
"Just get that stuff for me," she said tiredly, pushing him away and turning back to Sasuke. His jaw was broken, it was probably hindering his breathing. Her hands moved from where they were examining his ribs up to cradle his face, the green glow about her now-shaking hands beginning to flicker. Somewhere in her exhausted mind, there was a little voice reminding her that _"The most important thing is not to deplete your own chakra, what happens when you faint and you're still needed?_" but there was another, stronger, voice chanting _"It's Sasuke, it's Sasuke, we found him, we're going to save him, he's coming back home, and I can go a little longer... I can heal a little more...!_"  
And then her vision blacked out and she fell forward, her hands falling limp to rest around Sasuke's neck.

"Catch her!" Kakashi ordered, but Naruto was already there, pulling her up gently and laying her down by Sasuke's side. "Sakura-chan! _Sakura-chan_!" Naruto looked up desperately as Kakashi knelt by the girl's side, a few soldier pills in his fingers and other hand already glowing sporadically. "I'll bring her round again, but she won't be able to heal anyone," the elder of the two said briefly. Catching Naruto's terrified look, he hastily added, "Don't worry about Sakura. She's strong. You better go to Sasuke though-"  
And then, somehow Naruto was kneeling over Sasuke, gently pulling strands of ebony hair off that _scratchedbloodyinjuredpainful_ face and whispering words he didn't know under his breath. "Oi Sasuke, Sasuke you bastard, you better get up already, you're coming back to Konoha with us-" and he's rambling but it doesn't matter because _he's found Sasuke he's gonna be alright-_ Sakura healed him up, he was going to be fine, even though his skin was still littered with cuts and the _redredredbloodwaseverywhere_ he was going to live, he was going to be fine-

_Why wasn't he speaking..._

"Teme, _say something_," Naruto growled desperately, hovering over him, wanting to shake him or hug him or kill him but scared of making things worse, scared that he would kill him.

The tingling sensation that had been tingling through his limbs halted for a moment; thinning out, before disappearing completely. He frowned slightly. Why had that happened? Where had that girl gone?  
But it didn't matter now because now his head wasn't thumping, brain wasn't screaming, nerves weren't fraying and dying and agonizingly painfully throbbing.  
Now, he could think.  
_Sasuke_.  
He was Uchiha Sasuke.  
Images where coming back again; flashes, slivers of memories, broken and torn from the stress the agony had put on his poor brain.  
But one thing was still vivid in his mind. Perhaps the last thing he had seen.  
Would see.  
Burning, crimson red eyes. The Mangakyou Sharingan.  
He felt a shudder run down him; it hurt, but he could not help it. The image burned at his mind, like a seething mass. Something bubbled up within him, and it took him but seconds to place the emotion.  
A burning, seething hatred, roiling within him.  
Itachi.  
He grit his teeth once more, fitting the urge to hurl; his throat burned, his fingers twitched. Itachi.  
With a snarl on his features, he tried to move; forced his arm to raise, despite its protests of pain; despite the agony that lanced through his entire being.  
_ItachiItachiItachi._  
He had been beaten, god dammit. After training so hard, after leaving his home, his friends (who were dead to him anyway - he didn't care about them in the slightest. Not in the slightest.) everything - for revenge.  
For Itachi.  
His arm quivered - he could barely hold it up, broken bones rubbing together, causing friction, pain. Whatever the girl had done, he had just undone - and it didn't matter.

He wanted to die, anyway.  
He had failed his purpose. He was supposed to die.  
Why had she done that?  
And now, there was someone else; voices echoing in his ears, bouncing through his head, disturbing him.  
He couldn't die in peace, could he? He couldn't let the darkness that was edging in on him swallow him up, and sweep him away with unconsciousness.

"Teme, _say something_,"

That _voice_.. Without another thought, he hand shot up, fixing around that voice. He didn't need to see to know where it was. Didn't need eyes to sense that chakra signal, because he would have known it anywhere. Any day.  
Even the day he was supposed to die.  
"You," he rasped, throat sore, clogged. It was nothing but a hoarse whisper, but he knew that downright **IDIOT** would have heard him. Fingers tightened their hold on what he hoped was the idiots throat; he wished he could have seen that face turn purple, but that would have to wait. His grip was weak; broken, battered fingers could never hold a strangle hold. But it didn't matter because the intention was there; he wanted that idiot gone.  
_Now._

"_Bastard_," Naruto replied, choking, before pulling Sasuke's hand from it's (albeit _weak_) stranglehold around his neck. "You absolute _bastard_, Sasuke! You- you-" he cut himself off, not wanting to fight with his best friend straight off the bat. He sighed, controlling the urge to wrap his arms about the smaller boy's frame and hold him close, never letting go. "You better stay still or else all of Sakura-chan's work would be for nothing..." he warned, for lack of anything else to say.

He couldn't believe that this was Sasuke. _Uchiha_ Sasuke, the child who'd dedicated his life to vengeance, the boy who had trained endlessly, the teenager who had left them. The man who was now just a broken, bleeding, hollow _shell_. Naruto may have found Sasuke's body... but his mind was already gone, warped and destroyed in the years of loneliness and pain.

Sasuke's hand fell to the ground with a energy-less flop; he hadn't the strength to lift it again. That last little effort had cost him what precious little energy he had regained. Now he was back to short, rasping gasps, bursts of pain shooting through his arm.

And not being able to see was really getting on his nerves; too weak to really sense any one's movement other than directly beside him, he didn't know which way to turn; couldn't right himself, and certainly could not tell who else was around.  
Being so vulnerable.. made him more than a little nervous. His nerves were frayed enough as it was - and now this idiot was hovering over him, muttering something that his ears could not pick out from the rest; the world was a fuzzy blur of buzzing. He could feel the darkness encroaching his vision once more; and this time, he welcomed it. Consciousness was simple pain, and perhaps this time, if he was lucky, his heart could stop, and he could end his futile existence.  
_If only things were so simple._

"Teme?" Naruto bit out as the Uchiha stopped responding to his ranting. "Teme, you still there?" he repeated, voice lined thickly with worry.  
"He's probably fainted from blood loss and shock," Kakashi's quiet voice broke into the tense silence, and Naruto almost jumped. He'd forgotten the other two ninja were barely a metre from him.  
"How's Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked quickly, turning to look at the pink-haired girl. She was sitting up, which was a good start, but her skin was still white and clammy. A strained smile was on her features. "I'm fine, Naruto, don't worry about me. Sasuke-kun's probably just fainted like Kakashi-sensei said, but check his pulse."  
"We need to head back to Konoha," Kakashi said gently as Naruto all but lunged for Sasuke's neck, checking the weak, but steady, heartbeat. With a sigh, Naruto nodded and let the older shinobi scoop up the Uchiha. "Help Sakura, if she needs it," Kakashi ordered, but one look at Sakura's rebellious expression told Naruto that that wouldn't be necessary.  
Sakura went first, the scout who would clear the way for Kakashi and Sasuke. Naruto brought up the rear to check for any trackers, and make sure the rest of his team could cope.  
"You'd better not die, bastard," Naruto hummed angrily to himself. "You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do..."


	2. Look but Don't Touch

**~ REUNION ~**

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Chapter II:**

Darkness.

It still surrounded him, muted only by the scent of medical equipment, and a slight tinge of blood; the smell seemed to follow him everywhere, these days.  
_You can wash the blood off your hands; but it still lingers, like dirt beneath your fingernails._  
Sasuke released a small breath he did not realize he had been holding - with it came a very sharp, stabbing sting through his torso; a few cursing mutters, and the occasional; "Vitals seem to be holding up well," Or other words, that buzzed about his head rather like annoying flies.  
Though after his last attempt at swatting away some sort of pestilence, he had slipped back into unconsciousness; he was in no hurry to try such things again.

Fingers gently curled about the corners of uncomfortable, plastic-like bed-sheets. They felt fine; simply bruised, battered a little. But it was not his fingers that were the issue; it was whatever was attached to his wrist.  
Something heavy, chafing against the scarred, pale skin of his wrist.  
Something that felt uncannily like chains. He gave a soft groan, his throat rasping out the sound. Footsteps echoed in his ears as people scuffled about whatever he was laying on; mumbling in hushed tones. He felt every finger upon him; each hand sending the same strange, tingling sensation through his limbs; ninjas, forcing their chakra into his system - forcing wounds to close over, lungs to reform, broken bones to weld together. He was glad he had been unconscious for most of that; the intricacy of bringing a broken form back to the land of the living would have been a long and arduous process. Finding each injury, making sure broken bones, muscles, tissue fitted back together correctly. He almost shuddered, but his body lacked the strength to do so; something was slowly sapping away his energy, and he was quite certain it was linked to the cuffs chained about his wrists.  
Finally, the hands stopped probing; fingers (thankfully) returned to their owners, and there was a scuffling of feet as the people stood back.  
Sasuke shivered, and an ache ran through his body. The silence that hung over the room was thick, tense. As though they expected a man brought back from the brink of death would leap to his feet, and attack. Sasuke gave a small huff of breath; as if he had the will to do such a thing, regardless.  
He had lost.  
After training his entire life; forcing his body to extremes, forcing himself to improve. _Trainingtrainingtraining_. For but one thing.

**Revenge.**

The idea had consumed his life; eaten up his very being, and spat it out. Poisoned his mind with thoughts of how sweet it would be. How brilliant it would feel.  
To finally know his family had been avenged - to finally destroy the very man who had betrayed his entire clan, slaughtered children, mother, father, everyone, in cold blood.  
The man who had left him alive, simply to taunt him - made his existence a living hell, destroy his childhood, and whatever life that had been ahead of him.  
Ahhh, yes, how sweet such a revenge would taste; how delicious, glorious, magnificent the sight of his brother, dead by his hand, would be. How... _freeing_.  
And he had failed. He had trained so hard, had been too confident in his own ability. He had let a single will consume him, and now, it was broken.  
What was left?  
When he had abandoned the village, he had left the only thing that had ever been important; that could ever begin to fill the gaping hole the loss of his family had created.  
_Naruto. Sakura. Kakashi._  
His team mate who had somehow managed to creep their way past his cold, formal attitude, and dig their way beneath his skin.  
And for some reason, he had let them; like splinters left untended, he had let affection spread like an infection. Let it seep, and ache, and poison him.  
He had left too late; still, sometimes, he could feel the small throb; an ache to return to the life he had almost had. No matter how hard he tried, the splinters would not come out.  
But they didn't matter anymore either; because they had only ever been a replacement for what could never be replaced. They only eased the pain of the hole a little. Softened the edge of the deep, gaping wound, and almost made him forget.  
But he could never let that happen.  
He could never forget his purpose.  
The sole reason he woke every morning; the only reason he ever left them.  
**Revenge.**

What did he have left now?  
No purpose. No family.  
Nothing.  
And now, something more had been taken from him; he could still remember Itachi's smirk. Long, elegant, nailed fingers, coming closer and closer and closer.  
Searing pain through his eye socket, then the next.  
And then, the world had gone black - everything had faded into a deep dark void of pain, and agony and nothingness. He had lost everything - purpose. Friends. Family.  
_Eyes.  
_He exhaled slowly, before relaxing, wishing but one thing upon his world weary body.  
Death.

~x~

"Tsunade-baachan, get out of the way!" demanded Naruto, fists clenched as he stood, trembling, in front of her. Behind his orange-clad figure were those of Sakura and Sai. Although they had been the ones to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, they had been promptly put under Genjutsu and then examined for possible traps, illusions, controls or betrays, through both body-and-bag-searches and examining their memories with the aid of Yamanaka Inochi, Ino's father. It had been a full day later when they had woken from the chakra-induced sleep, and all three - Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi - had promptly demanded they be set free. Kakashi had set off towards the Elders, knowing that they would need to be spoken to, immediately, if Sasuke would be allowed to remain. Sakura and Naruto, meanwhile, had rounded up Sai and charged towards the Hospital, only to discover that Sasuke _wasn't there_. Sai had pointed out that, as a top-security prisoner, Sasuke would be kept in the ANBU headquarters.  
Which was where they were now.  
Except that the Hokage was standing before them, denying them access into the concrete-slabbed building.  
"Tsunade-shishou, surely you of all people know that we won't do anything, we aren't about to break him _out_ of here!" Sakura cried, bringing her hands up to plead the case to the elder woman. "Just let us see him, please!"

Tsunade watched the three shinobi in front of her with a calm eye. Sai, of course, looked completely emotionless, but there was an extra layer of interest in his eyes which betrayed his curiosity. Sakura, her student of so many years, was literally begging to let them in. Naruto, as to be expected, was trembling, voice growing in ferocity as his demands to be let in continued.  
She wanted to let them in. She really did, and she herself felt that it was only fair to let in the ones who had brought the Uchiha back. Danzou's ANBU, who were in charge, didn't agree.  
"I already told you, you will be summoned when you are permitted to see him," she ordered crisply. "Go home. Rest. Recuperate. You've just come back, you've completed your mission, and you're exhausted."  
That was something else. They'd completed their mission.  
Her expression softened slightly. "You've all done incredibly well to be here, alive and well, and your mission completed. I'll alert you as soon as possible, but for now there isn't anything I can do."

"You're the Hokage!" roared Naruto, slamming a fist into the wall. "You could let us in if you wanted, but you- you-!"  
"Please, please, _please_, Tsunade-sama...!" pleaded Sakura. "We just want to _see_ him, please, he's our teammate-!"

Tsunade shook her head, her will cracking. How could she deny them, and still claim to be the Hokage - still claim to be the leader of the shinobi, who looked after them and treated them justly?  
But it was only when Naruto's eyes began to flash red that she spoke again.  
"You may go in, then." Frowning as she waited for the brief cheering to die, she crossed her arms. "But _only_ if you do not disturb the ANBU guards, or Sasuke, in any way. You must keep your chakra masked and you will be restrained."

"Why do we have to do all that -!" Naruto began hotly, but Sakura interrupted him with, "That's ok, thank you Shishou!"

~x~

"Wake up," growled one of the faceless medics. A cat mask concealed their features, however the high tone of voice betrayed her gender. White armour glowed in the harsh fluorescent light of the underground cell. No windows let true sunlight into the area, and all available light was dulled by the dirty grey rocks which made up the walls.

Naruto almost growled himself when he heard the order. How dare they treat Sasuke like he was some criminal-! And then he remembered that, officially at least, that was exactly what Sasuke was. Sakura was next to him, horrified at the conditions Sasuke was being kept in. Chains hung around him, shackling his wrists, ankles and neck. Chakra-repressants were taped to each chain and arranged in a circle around him. Machinery emitted a steady, low hum with the occasional _beeeeeeeep_

"Sasuke-kun...!" Sakura said, almost in a daze. This couldn't be him. Couldn't be.  
But as much as the truth hurt, she had to accept that it was.  
Her knight in shining armour had left her, but she'd always quietly believed he'd return.  
But now here he was, strapped down and guarded like the lowest of criminals.

"His eyes are gone," Sai noted blandly. The sight of Sasuke's restrains had no effect on him, having seen this scenario numerous times in his training with Root.  
when Sasuke's breathing or heartbeat became irregular. An IV drip had been inserted into his arm, and his clothes removed until he had on only a pair of shorts. Scars and stiches ran along his body, marring the pale skin.

Tsunade snorted, coming up behind the three. She could not help but relinquish a heavy sigh upon the sight; the once proud, arrogant Uchiha, strapped down like some petty thief. She was already beginning to regret letting them in here - Naruto would of course demand to be closer, to be able to examine the wounds in full. Probably try and poke the boy into wakefulness - the thought brought a weary smile to tired features.

She was getting far too old for this.

"You've seen him. He should be coming round now," She murmured quietly to their backs, glad she could not see their faces. The disappointment at what had become of their friend.  
He was a tattered ruin of the boy he had once been; and it was almost painful to watch.

~x~

Sasuke grit his teeth, a scowl staining once perfect features. He did not, however, deign the voice with a response.

How dare she disturb his solitude - how _dare_ she interrupt the silence he had so lavishly been bathing in.  
How dare she interrupt him focusing upon the one goal he had left.  
The crisp, medicine ridden air was beginning to get to him. The lack of warmth - the way the room seemed bathed in a coolness he could not explain. He felt vulnerable. Weak.  
_Useless._  
Like a bird with broken wings; a Uchiha without Sharingan was not a Uchiha at all.  
However, disobeying the ANBU's order was proving rather difficult, seeing as he was already conscious. He would have snorted his discontent, but that would have proven he was awake.  
And thus obeying her.  
He was not some pet they could boss around, regardless of how well they bound him.  
"Where am I?" he hissed, voice raspy, but still cold. Feigned disinterest spiked his tones, and he somehow managed to sound almost bored, despite his predicament. He would have almost smirked, but the situation was far too precarious for such a thing. He could celebrate his small victory later.  
Not that it mattered much - some way or another, he wold be dead before the month was out.

The Konoha council would see to that, he was sure.

"You are in ANBU headquarters," bit Cat. "You will remain here until your future has been decided. You will also answer any and all questions which our interrogators will ask. Failure to do so will only result in your restraints being tightened and... other repercussions. Do you understand?" Although the orders were utterly all-encompassing and superior, Cat's voice was bland and uninterested; the trademark of a veteran ANBU.  
Behind her, she heard a few growls and a whisper; however she already knew it was the Hokage and three others. Teammates of the captive. She didn't approve of them being here, but the Hokage had overruled Danzou, using her power to get them inside. Only now, Cat could sense her discomfort and regret through the slight trembling in her chakra signature.

Sasuke gave a brief snort which would answer the questions sufficiently - she was, after all, just some ANBU member. Nothing to be feared.  
Even if he was shackled to a table, brought back barely from the brink of death.  
With a small exhale of breath, which he refused to believe was a sigh, he slumped slightly, not for the first time wishing he had vision again. Had he possessed his sharingan, he would have been able to take care of these ANBU members no problem.  
If he had his sharingan, he wouldn't have been in this sorry mess to begin with.

Cursing his luck, his lot, his brother and his life, the Uchiha awaited another question. He doubted she would get much more of a response than his last two, regardless.

Cat paced for a moment, running the list of questions she had been ordered to ask through her head. One seemed likely to get the younger Uchiha to talk, so she asked coldly, "Where is Uchiha Itachi?"  
Perhaps that would get a reaction out of the dark-haired boy; other than the non-committal grunts. He really was far too arrogant, Cat decided. But she supposed that, in order to survive the treatment and interrogation which came with being a captured missing-nin, it was probably going to be Sasuke's inflated pride which pulled him through.

Behind her and standing just behind the barred gates, Sakura's breath caught. Her hands wrapped around the bars weakly. Ordinarily, her strength would be more than enough to burst through the metalwork, but with the chakra bracelets on both wrists and the tag on her back, she could barely focus enough to create a chakra scaple, one of her trademark jutsus. As much as she wanted to know the answer to this question, her concern for Sasuke overwhelmed it. She waited breathlessly for the Uchiha's reaction, unsure whether he was act explosively or unresponsively. It twisted her stomach, realising just how _little_ she really knew him any more. That perfect face, those handsome eyes _(gone now, gone forever)_ - she had once been able to penetrate their mystery, just a little. But now, those features she had come to love were burnt and broken, a shell hiding the monster Sasuke had become.  
And now she didn't know who it was. Who was inhabiting that mutilated body?  
What had Sasuke become?

Sasuke, had he possessed the proper equipment to do so, would have widened his eyes in surprise.  
Broken, twisted, roughly healed together muscle twitched,_ burnt_ at the sudden movement, and he hissed in pain.  
He gritted his teeth, letting the tinging subside - letting himself think.  
But that was it.  
He didn't know.  
As soon as his... eyes... had been taken, the youngest Uchiha had lost all consciousness; few would have been able to stay alive, let alone conscious.  
It was a feat only a body trained hard could accomplish; something one of high physique, and pain tolerance could handle.  
Still, he despised the way he had reacted; the weakness in the fact that he had let himself... _lose._

He did not reply; his mouth, turned into a distinct scowl, brows furrowed.  
"Let me go," he growled, hating how weak and pathetic his hoarse order sounded; barely threatening at all. It didn't matter though.  
He needed to get out of here. Get away from the harsh smelling chemicals, the stale air. Away from the intense scrutiny of so many people.  
What would he do, even if he was freed?  
_'Jump off something,_' he mused quietly to himself. _'Hokage tower, perhaps?'  
_He almost snorted at such an idea. Snorted at the subtle casualty in which he addressed it.  
But what use was he now? How could he ever face _anyone_... let alone Itachi, again?  
_Who would want him now that he was so... useless?_

Sakura's eyes were so dry... blinking them in an effort to bring some semblance of normality to her emotions, her hands trembled and slid off the metal bars. Naruto caught her just before her head hit the bars with a soft _whump_. "Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan?" she heard him calling worriedly, but at the same time distractedly. Her vision was fishbowelling around Sasuke's form, tied down and controlled by the ANBU.

His voice was different.

It didn't hold the promise of victory, the arrogance which was such a central part of the Uchiha.  
This voice was trembling, just slightly, but it _was_. This voice was shattered, destroyed and left behind.  
This couldn't be Sasuke.  
And as much as Sakura repeated the words to herself _(It **is** Sasuke, it __**is** Sasuke --- )_ the truth didn't seem to be able to sink in. She kept expecting to open her eyes, Hinata leaning worriedly over her as she awoke from this nightmare in a cold sweat. It wouldn't be too unrealistic. The girl had had similar nightmares about her teammate before this; ever since that _Day_ when Sasuke left... She was whispering under her breath, pleas to wake up, pleas to escape, pleas to _just make it __**stop**__..._

"Sa... kura-chan..." Naruto murmured brokenly. He could see her breaking, coming apart at the seams. Her eyes were glittering with unshed tears. He shook his head, his emotions warring. Anger, hopelessness, determination, fear, terror. His eyes were still tinted blood-red as he turned to look at Sasuke again. "Bastard," he growled, before turning back to Tsunade. "Sakura-chan," he said dejectedly, nodding his head towards the pink-haired kunoichi. Tsunade nodded once, understanding at once.  
"You should take her home," she advised gently; a voice which betrayed the steely quality of her eyes.

Dipping his head slightly, Naruto leant down to support Sakura, who was still staring at Sasuke dazedly. Her entire body was trembling.  
"Sakura-chan, we're going now," he soothed quietly. He hadn't expected her to let out a gasp and lurch forward, clutching the bars as if they were her lifeline.  
"No! No no no..." Sakura babbled. "It's going to finish soon, let me see Sasuke-kun, this isn't Sasuke-kun..."  
"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's eyes widened imperceptably. The usually calm girl was acting uncontrollably; her broken sentences didn't make sense. "Sakura-chan, we have to-"  
"_No_! This isn't Sasuke-kun, can't you see?" Sakura exclaimed wildly.  
"_Sakura_, listen to me!" Naruto grabbed her shoulders and spun her so she was facing away from Sasuke. "This hurts me too! I don't... I _hate_ seeing Sasuke like this. But it is him; we brought him back ourselves." Those jade eyes were beginning to calm down again as the built-up tears fell. "We- we just need to hang on a bit more, alright? Alright?"  
"Y-Yeah..." Sakura sobbed, pitching forward to huddle in Naruto's arms. "Just a little more..."

Sasuke flinched as another voice pierced his new, dark world.  
High pitched, almost screaming. _Crying.  
_Naruto. Naruto's voice, as ever, a steady anchor.  
A painful, jaged memory, that grated at him worse than any wound; that had always been the problem with that idiot.  
He had left too late, and now the bonds they shared festered like nasty, ill-treated scars. Painful, and untreated.  
A slow, draining illness that was killing him.  
And the problem was still there; it was Naruto's fault he was here. Naruto's fault he was bound like a common prisoner.  
Naruto's fault he was still _alive._

With a grunt, and what could have been considered a monumental effort, he twisted slightly; ignoring the way his bonds chaffed his skin.  
He growled hoarsely, hating the nagging feeling in his mind, that almost reminded him of guilt.  
The person crying couldn't have been because of him - for him.  
He had no one left that could even remotely care anyway.  
And it wouldn't matter if they did - because _he_ didn't.

"Get them out of here," Cat said in an undertone to one of the other ANBU members - Frog - as she heard the tell-tale choking of Sakura's sobs. The other figure bowed his head imperceptably before transporting over to the visitors and escorting them out. Waiting for the deep _boom_ as the door closed, Frog's footsteps were louder than they should have been as he returned. Cat knew that he was a junior recruit, though, so she left it without berating him for it.  
The cell was silent now, except for the steady _beep... beep... beep..._ of Sasuke's heartbeat. There was a slight rustling sound as Cat moved forward softly, her feet making no sound. She stood silently for a moment at Sasuke's side, before speaking again in a cold voice which carried clearly through the room - and yet died without an echo.

"Where is Orochimaru?"

Sasuke small, hoarse chuckled was short lived; the harsh sound died in his throat, and was more like a croaking frog than anything close to malicious.  
"Dead," He retorted with a rather large deal of pride. That had been a rather enjoyable experience - though the battle was short, and swift. His fingers twitched again, slowly. His concentration was flickering now - flicking between the girl, and that god damned blonde brat who kept turning up everywhere he went.  
He would have to sort some things out with that idiot, before finding a way of disposing of himself. Getting rid of the evidence of the Uchiha clan, _forever._  
It almost felt like a bitter sweet victory.


	3. Together Again

**~ REUNION ~**

**

* * *

Chapter III:** _**Reunion**_

Four weeks.

It had been _four weeks_ since he'd last seen the Uchiha.

The phrase repeated in his mind, echoing until it had shooed all other thoughts away.

_Four weeks._

_Four weeks._

_Four weeks._

And in those four weeks, Uzumaki Naruto hadn't lived.

He had breathed. He had answered when spoken to. He had eaten when food was placed in front of him. He had slept when night fell.

But he hadn't _lived_, hadn't shown any of the cheeky antics he was so famous for, hadn't laughed, hadn't initiated _anything_.

~x~

"Shishou," Sakura said dully. Though her reaction to Sasuke's capture and subsequent imprisonment hadn't been as severe as Naruto's, it had taken its toll on her life. She barely spoke to anyone other than the sympathetic and understanding ear she'd found in Hinata, and never left the house for any reason other than her Hospital duties. She had just barely had the will to cancel all her missions and appointments, other than her Hospital job. It was the only thing which was keeping her from losing her sanity, and she knew it. The repetitive, predictable and yet highly dangerous work on injuried shinobi helped her to maintain what sense of normalcy she had.

Then her Hokage had called for her, which was the only reason Sakura had left her house on her day off. Standing in front of the blonde woman, Sakura felt as if the past month had stretched on eternally.

"Where is Naruto? I requested you both," Tsunade grumbled.  
"He won't come," Sakura replied numbly. "I can take a message back to him."

Tsunade frowned. Although as Hokage she had a strong bond with every ninja, from the youngest Academy student to the ANBU shinobi in their prime and to the retired ninja who lived in relative safety now their careers had finished, she held these two especially close. Sakura was all but her daughter, having trained with the older woman for years. Naruto was like the cheeky son she'd never had. He was idiotic, loud, and supremely insulting, but she loved him all the more for it. She knew with certainty that she would choose him to be the next Hokage, but she hadn't told him that yet. She wasn't planning to for a good while, either. No need to excite the boy any more than he _usually_ was.

"Tell him this, then: You have permission to visit your teammate," Tsunade said casually, looking up from where she was seated in her office.  
Sakura's face was white, her eyes gleaming like hard emeralds. Her mouth dropped open, just slightly, whispering something, before her entire face just dropped off. The kunoichi's shoulders turned inwards as she hugged herself, body shuddering with violent tremors. Just before she lost her balance, Tsunade was there to steady her and watch her with her own hard brown eyes.  
"That's a mission. Hurry up. Tell Naruto and both of you get over there," she ordered.

Sakura couldn't even smile her thanks at her shishou as she fled from the room, heart pounding as if it wanted to come out of her chest. Within seconds she was skidding to a stop on Naruto's balcony and breaking the lock as she slammed the sliding doors open. "_Naruto!_" she yelled. "Get over here, _we're allowed to see Sasuke." _  
Naruto's face was unrecognisable as he hurried out of another room and took in Sakura's expression.  
"We can?" His voice cracked. It was the first time he had spoken in a week and a half.  
"_Come on_," Sakura growled, closing her steely grip around Naruto's painfully thin wrist and dragging him out of the room.

~x~

Sasuke sat where he was. Cold. The place, as always, smelt damp. Dampdampdamp.  
The tell tale smells of moss, of cold steel, and the constant _dripdripdrip_ told him that yes, he had once again awoken within his prison cell. The scuffle of rats echoed behind him, but he did not bother turning. It was not like he could, anyway.  
Not like he could see.  
He was told his wounds were healing up nicely. That everything was clean. No infection.  
Except the one that plagued his mind. Nobbling away at his sanity in what he found to be annoyingly tiny bite sized pieces. The last time he heard them still echoed in his mind. Forever repeating. That broken, dejected crying. She hadn't been crying over him though. Couldn't be.  
Could she?  
And then Naruto's voice. Calm. Level. Like always. Soothing, he supposed. In some senses. To some people.  
He twitched, a hand coming to brush through lank hair; it had grown longer, he noted dully. It hung like dark drapes about his face - hiding the obscenities of what lay beneath. That was how he liked it.  
If it was hidden, and buried, he could forget.  
If only for a little while.  
His fingers passed long, silky bangs, dancing across the bandages that went all the way around his head; hiding his eyes from view. Or what was left of them. The scarred and mangled remains of... He could not even think the man's name. It twinged a very, VERY raw nerve. Not that it mattered, anyway. Without his eyes... he was useless.  
Not even Konoha would want the battered remains of his body. He knew the sentence that would come; now, he simply waited for it.  
Prayed for it.  
The shattered, broken remains of the once mighty Uchiha clan - that was all that Sasuke had left. A broken clan, and broken dreams, smashed against the ground like peices of pottery. His entire life.  
Entire world.

Gone to dust.

~x~

As Sakura and Naruto arrived in front of Konoha's high-security prison, their faces were enough for the two guards to know they had to move. The two teammates didn't even slow to a walk as they raced into the building, guards recognising them and leading the way.  
Finally, finally _finally_ after a month of waiting, after a month of _torture_, Team 7 would be together again. This time, there wouldn't be a wall between them. There wouldn't be an ANBU interrogator in the way.  
Team 7's reunion.  
Their feet pounded against the cobblestone floor, usual shinobi grace and silence forgotten in the crazed sprint.  
Shadows dancing along the walls as they passed lights, voices and orders echoing down the endless labyrinths.  
And always, always, the knowledge that they were finally here, _finally seeing Sasuke_.  
They rounded another corner in tandem, sprinting forward before being forced to a stop. The door which held their lost teammate was locked and barred, a huge chakra seal adorning the front. Four guards stood outside the doors, denying them access.  
"Open the door."  
Had he thought about it, Naruto wouldn't have recognised his voice. It was distant, a direct order which expected immediate obedience.  
"You will be permitted to enter when you are wearing chakra-repessants," one of the guards monotoned in response.  
Her heard Sakura swore, but nodded. They were _wasting time_! They should be in the cell already, talking to Sasuke, seeing him again, knowing that he was fine -!  
And then the doors were open and they were inside, the doors closing behind them and everything was pitch-black but it was ok _because Sasukewasthere..._

"Bastard," Naruto breathed, sending out his chakra to feel Sasuke's turbulent system. He could barely believe that it was really the Uchiha, but that chakra signature was as familiar to him as his own.  
How often, in the past, had they sparred to exhaustion, their chakras spiking wildly in their final matches? He was so attuned to that chakra, so familiar with it - and yet, at the same time, a complete stranger.  
This chakra was _his_ Sasuke's chakra, but the man in front of them wasn't _his_ Sasuke anymore. This man had traded _everything_ for revenge, for power. He had tried to sever all bonds with his past, with Konoha, and had so nearly achieved it. Only two, three bonds still tied him down. The bonds to his team, his family.  
_His_ Sasuke would never have turned his back on the present and future to venture back to the past.  
That man in front of them was a new Sasuke; _Itachi's_ Sasuke.  
But Itachi's Sasuke should have won. _Itachi's_ Sasuke couldn't be restrained here against his will.  
So Naruto didn't know who this man was. Who's Sasuke was he now? What was Sasuke living for?  
He had to know.

Sasuke did not move; he couldn't, anyway. He was bound in a completely white almost... body suit. As if he could see it.  
Riddled with chakra represents, hands strapped securely to his back. Chains about his ankles, his wrists. Each movement followed by the 'chink' of a chain. The sound haunted him as often as the dreams; it never disappeared.  
The chain, he supposed, was the one constant in his life. He was always chained to something. Constantly.  
Konoha, friends, revenge.  
_That man._  
But something new was here now. A voice. A familiar voice.  
A voice that burned and stung, and made a familiar snarl wrinkle his pale, haunted features.  
Naruto.  
"What... do you want?" His voice was rough and uncertain. It was quiet from disuse - he spoke rarely these days. Why would he bother? There was no one who wanted him here. Even the rats were more social than he was. He could not repress a shudder, and not for the first time, he strove to see his guests through the darkness. Strove to see anything; purely out of the habit. He felt the boys chakra brush over him, like a hand petting a beloved animal. It was a gentle prod, that was all. But had he been able to, Sasuke would have sent a vicious spike back.  
He did not want to be seen like this. Heard like this.  
Stirrings of self loathing roiled up within him; no one would want the useless shell he had become. He had nothing left. Nothing left to give.  
And that was all people wanted, anyway. To _taketaktake.  
_Konoha had wanted him as a weapon; the last sharingan.  
But he wasn't even that anymore.

"Why did you leave?!" Naruto cried. His emotions were beginning to spill over, and he had no control over his body as he reached forward and slammed Sasuke into a wall. The clanking of chains just drove him further into his anger.  
"_Why_?! You should have stayed! You were _supposed_ to stay, you freaking _bastard_!" With each pained word, he hit the wall next to where he held Sasuke's form. He could hear Sakura screaming, screams of anger and fear and loss and grief, but they didn't penetrate his mind. Her strong arms were wrapped weakly around his waist, tugging him back yet pushing him forward at the same time. Drops hit his neck; trickled down his back; but he couldn't stop screaming at his best friend, his teammate, his reason.  
"_Answer me,_ _you_!" Naruto roared, pulling back from Sasuke's form in just-barely-there control. Sakura's screaming turned to pained cries as he felt his chakra boiling, but she didn't move. She was chanting something, but he couldn't hear her voice over the roar which echoed through the maze and his mind. Fire surrounded him; the anger of his contained demon. Bloody chakra stained the air as Naruto faced the leering face of the fox. His eyes were already burning red, his fangs growing in preparation to rip everything apart -  
With a gasp, Naruto wrenched away from the hypnotic gaze and sprinted away from the Kyuubi, splashing through the knee-high waters loudly. Sakura's chanting was ringing through the hallways, and now he could understand it -  
_Naruto stop oh please stop, Naruto come back come back, __**please**_ -  
And then he was through the gateway and staring at Sasuke; chained and bloody now from where he'd burnt him. Those black bangs were hanging over his eyes, Naruto wanted to move them and see those eyes, but Sakura was around him and holding him and he remembered he couldn't and then he was choking as he scrambled over to the far side of the room.

He'd lost control.

He was shocked with himself, _disgusted_ with himself. How had he done that? He had gotten _so close_ to losing it all; so close to letting out the Kyuubi; so close to incinerating Sakura, so close to ripping Sasuke apart. He had been _so close_ to destroying _everything_, ruining his life, ruining the world.

_So close_.

He couldn't be near Sasuke.

_Couldn't_.

He would destroy the world.

_Destroy._

_He would kill Sasuke._

_**Kill Sasuke**_._  
_  
Sasuke let himself be jostled. Said nothing, and let himself be slammed against the wall; harsh fingers tearing at him, thundering words rumble in his ear. Let the anger of his friend wash over him, roil past and bubble up. Listening as Naruto worked himself into a fit of burning hot anger, that boiled and sizzled and _burnt_. He didn't flinch as the chakra leapt and burned against him - burning lapping at his arm, his skin, his flesh. A hungry, burning, searing pain, wriggling against him, _fieryhot__**alive**_.  
He almost felt like laughing - laughing at the idiotic, stupid way that Naruto dealt with himself. With his emotions - each one unbridled, allowed to spew forth like the eruptions of some miniature volcano. His erradic mood as clear to see as the sky was blue.  
And despite it all, he could barely contain the contemptuous note from his words.  
"I left because there was nothing left for me in Konoha," he returned, voice cool, calm, and dripping with silent mockery.

"You... _you_..." Sakura's voice trembled as she faced her teammate. Her emotions were fluctuating wildly, from the adoration and compassion she felt when she looked at him, to the overpowering fury and intolerance when she remembered what he'd done. Love to hate - so alike and yet such opposites. She wanted to punch him until he was in as much pain as she was, and at the same time she wanted to help him; soothe his wounds with her chakra and wrap her arms around him, whispering to him.  
She didn't know who he was anymore, and that was what hurt the most.  
It was _Sasuke_.  
His skin was still that shade of near-white, his hands were still long and thin. He still had those high cheekbones she had thought were so incredible. His hair was longer now, and dirty, but it still glowed faintly in the almost non-existent light. The messy bangs covered his eyes.  
She wanted to see them.  
She _had_ to see them.  
She had to prove to herself that this was still her Sasuke-kun, still the teammate she had done _everything_ for.  
She stepped forward quietly, calming her breathing.  
Now that she knew what to do, she could calm herself. Once she saw Sasuke's sarcastic eyes, she would know that everything was alright, that it was still Sasuke-kun, that he had come back to her and to Konoha.  
Another step. She raised her hand, not knowing how Sasuke was going to react to her touching his face.  
She was almost there...  
Reaching out, she smoothed his brow with trembling fingers. Then, before the the fear and terror growing inside of her could overflow, she pulled the boy's fringe to the side, letting the bangs reveal Sasuke's face.

She screamed, letting the bangs fall back into place and scrambling back a few paces as tears cascaded over her eyes and down her face._  
OhGodhiseyeshiseyeshiseyes__**they'regone**_...

Because although Sakura had been the first one to see his face without eyes, that had been a month ago. And a month is more than enough time to clamp down on details.  
Breathing erratically, she fell backwards until she was sprawled on the ground at Naruto's feet.

_GodhowcouldIforget... Hiseyesare**gone**__they're__**gone**__they're__**gone**_...

_Sasuke-kun... is __**gone**_...

Sasuke felt gentle fingers dance across his face - but he was too slow to move. She flipped away his fringe like a curtain, revealing to the world what was left of Sasuke Uchiha. He snarled viciously, head instantly tilted away, any humor gone. But then he realized something; a sound that pierced the darkness of the world he was exiled to. Her _scream.  
_She knew what had happened now. She had seen it with her own eyes. His lips twitched up, in an almost crazy smirk that showed his teeth. A bubbling mirth was writhing within him, begging to escape his lips. _She had seen she had seen__**shehadseen**__._

_**She knew.**_

This time, he didn't bother keeping the laughter bottled within him; he simply tilted back his head and laughed. It was a bark of a sound - his voice was so unused to making any noise, let alone one of amusement. Perhaps he had finally cracked - finally, that perfect porcelain mask he always wore had been chipped away enough to reveal the roiling emotions beneath; feelings that had far too long been clamped down on and stored away bubbling up like lava, and spilling forth in an almost pathetic display of insane, hilarity. His whole body was wracked with laughter, shaking as though he was trying to escape his bonds.  
He was laughing at how idiotic they were - how little they had changed. He laughed at how weak they were, and how their efforts had been in vain.  
Because really, who could save him now? When he needed to be rescued, that was when they would turn tail and leave. Leave with his mocking laughter echoing behind them, and chasing them away. He relished the thought.  
He laughed until his throat was sore, and dry. He laughed until his lungs burnt. But it didn't matter; his broken, hoarse laughter bounced within the confined space, off the damp, slick stone walls, drowning out the sound of rats scuttling and the constant _dripdripdrip_ of water somewhere.  
His cackle finally quietened a little, and he turned to where he assumed they were, face still turned in a vicious snarled smile.

"Happy now, Naruto, Sakura? Now we're all finally back together?" he purred, almost lovingly rolling the words off his tongue, before breaking off into hysterical laughter once more, the hilarity of the entire situation seemingly still not lost on him.

"_Shut the freaking hell __**up**_!" Naruto screamed, taking three bounding leaps forward, fist clenched, glowing red and pulled back ready, before Sakura choked and shrieked and clenched her arms around his waist. Her arms were glowing both red and green; her demands for Naruto to get back were intermittent with cries of burning pain. "_You freaking __**bastard**_!" Naruto roared, scrabbling at Sakura's arms and leaving them oozing blood. "_WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?! __**WHY**__?!_"

"_STOPITSTOPIT__**STOPITNOWNARUTO**_!" Sakura screamed, her arms bursting open without thought. Agony seared up her limbs whenever they moved, but her healing chakra was already at work, giving the dark cell a watery green light. "_THIS IS SASUKE, NARUTO! Don't kill him, it's __**Sasuke**__,_" Sakura cried, tears beginning to flow again. Her face was white, her entire body trembling, but she knew she had to get through to Naruto. "Naruto, Naruto, Naruto, _stop it_," Sakura sobbed. "Please, _stop_..."

Naruto hesitated, mere inches from Sasuke's laughing form. The Uchiha was still choking on his bark of a laugh, and Naruto considered distantly that it was a cruel twist of fate that the first time he heard his Sasuke's laughter, it was a broken, literally insane man choking over the sound. He'd wanted, _so much_, to hear Sasuke's laughter, even just once.  
And _this was it_.  
"Why... did you leave me?" Naruto asked softly, the sound of a lost child. His voice was breaking with overflowing emotions. Before he himself was driven mad by Sasuke's manical laughter, he turned and staggered towards the door; out of the cell. He brushed past Sakura without a look back, but Sakura already knew why. She had rarely seen it before, but it was unmistakable.  
His face was white. His shoulders were trembling. Naruto was _crying_.  
His chakra was trembling slightly, the direct opposite to the mad spiking of his earlier furious outrage.

"We'll come back," Sakura whispered, though she didn't know who to.  
To all three of them, she supposed distantly.  
She had to convince Naruto.  
She had to convince Sasuke.  
But most of all, she had to convince _herself_.  
"We'll be back soon," she repeated quietly, softly, religiously. Her new mantra. _We'll be back soon._

Sasuke continued to chuckle to himself.  
_Gonegonegonegone. _He had chased them away, finally, he was back to the peace and quiet he so cherished; back to the water, and the slick walls, and the chains that were starting to rub rather viciously at his wrists. He would have to complain about that. He chuckled again, almost like a child this time.  
He knew they would turn tail and run; all this time they had been chasing, and they couldn't stand a little joke? A small trace of friendly humor? More giggling.  
He could barely contain himself. It simply felt far too good to let go of everything and _laugh. _It had been so long, he mused; too long. He still couldn't whipe the silly smirk of his face - the nearly grotesque twist of once handsom lips in a vile mockery of a smile. His body was still wracked with heaving breaths, and small giggles.  
"_Gonegonegone~"_ he muttered to himself, his voice the epitome of glee. He slumped slightly against the slick of the wall; letting the dampness sink through his clothes, and stain the fabric. Maybe they'd let him out soon - he was very bored of only being able to use his mouth. He longed to be able to use his hands for something - anything. They tingled all over, twitching away behind his back, crushed between his spine and the wall.  
He chuckled again. He couldn't help the wet, noise that bubbled from his throat.  
He had never needed them, and had just proved it. _Nevernevernever_ needed **anyone**.

* * *

**A/N**

Any chance of reviewing? :3

In any case, we hope you're enjoying _Reunion_! We are certainly having fun, controlling insane Sasuke 8D What do you guys think of his portrayal? It would be good to know if we are managing to keep him in-character; and Sakura and Naruto as well x3

Thanks~!

~ Sakura


	4. Falling Apart

**CHAPTER IV: **_**Falling Apart**_

Tsunade rubbed her forehead wearily. She could feel another migraine coming on, and she knew exactly _why_. Unfortunately, she had no way to get rid of the cause of said migraine without giving in to the brat's demands.  
"You were there yesterday," she growled, glaring at the blond ninja who dared to stride into her office and demand that he be given permission to visit Sasuke. Apparently, he had already tried to go to the prison, but the guards hadn't let him in. Tsunade had argued that it was to be expected after he had almost released the Kyuubi _twice_ in the short period of time they had been with Sasuke. He had growled back that this time he would know what to expect so he could control himself more. Which had lead them to this stand-off.  
"But I have to see him _today_," Naruto replied angrily. "Tsunade-baachan, I'll do whatever you want me to do, just _let me see Sasuke_."  
"You might lose control again."  
"I _won't_! I'd forgotten how much of a bastard that jerk is, but I know now. I can control myself," Naruto said tightly, fighting to keep a hold on his temper. It wouldn't be any use for him to lose it here.  
"Sakura's unavailable. She won't be there to calm you down."  
"I won't _need_ to be calmed down!"  
"I can't take that risk!"  
"Put chakra-repressents on me, anything, just let me in!"  
"The Kyuubi's chakra is too strong for regular repressents, they won't work on you!"  
"Tsunade, listen to me," Naruto said desperately. "I _have_ to see him. Do you see? _I __**have**__ too._ I won't lose control because I know that it will only end up in a permanent ban!"  
Tsunade paused before shooting back a reply.  
He had a point.  
If he was here, almost begging to me allowed to see the Uchiha, then it _had_ to be something important for the boy. Tsunade trusted Naruto, although she would never admit it, to herself or anyone else. It was purely subconscious, and yet this trust made her hesitate and, eventually, open her mouth again. She could trust him with _one_ more chance.  
"I'll let you see him, on the condition that you wear three times as many chakra-repressants as yesterday, the number of ANBU guards outside and around the cell double, and you _do not_, under _any circumstances_, release the Kyuubi. _Any_ violation, any _hint_ that the Kyuubi is taking over, and you will be permanently banned from visiting him. Understand?"  
Naruto nodded fervently, eyes gleaming. He could see Sasuke again. _He could see Sasuke again!_ "Yep yep, thanks Tsunade-baachan," he said quickly, before escaping out the window and sprinting directly for the security prison.

Sakura had been an absolute mess after they'd left yesterday. Naruto let his thoughts run over yesterday's events, from their first war of a reunion to the after-effects and then, finally, the way they had each collapsed into bed, broken messes. Sakura had sobbed her lungs out, until her eyes had run dry and all she could do was choke on dry air, violent tremors shaking her body. Naruto had been silently white, a statue who had wrapped his arms around Sakura's form and stayed still, for hours, just thinking.  
His Sasuke was _gone_.  
It had taken all this time to realise. Naruto had made himself believe that it was still his Sasuke when they had rescued him from the ruined Uchiha estate, one month ago. He had made himself believe that it was his Sasuke who was locked up. He had made himself believe that it was _his Sasuke_ who would talk to them.  
_But it hadn't been.  
_This Sasuke had _laughed_.  
Laughed, and laughed and _laughed_ at their pain, at their reunion. At _them_.

Not _his _Sasuke, by any rate.

Shaking his head abruptly, Naruto forced himself to focus to his surroundings, and he realised belatedly that he had arrived at the prison. Striding through the dark hallways again, he consciously calmed himself, slowing his heartbeat and monitoring his chakra. Stable. _Good_.  
Then he was back in Sasuke's pitch-black cell, individual chakra bracelets and anklets circled his limbs, and there were symbols inked onto his forhead, chest and stomach. Very, very thorough chakra suppressing.  
He couldn't even tap into his chakra in this state. So the only way he could let Sasuke know who had come to visit was to speak.  
But he couldn't bring himself to do so.  
He sat in silence, waiting for the other boy to act first.

Sasuke twitched blearily. His body was numb - cold, almost icy. His back was wet from slime and moss from the wall. His fingers twitched again, and he struggled to lift his head. Every muscle ached, with a dull throbbing pain. He sighed softly, throat sore, rough. Even his breath sounded ragged.  
The clanking of his cell door perked him though - years of rigorous training had taught his body to react, despite the pain. Instantly, he had roughly pulled himself upright, back stiff and straight, head tilted slightly to one side. He could tell by the way his fringe tickled his nose that long, greasy bangs covered his shame.  
His nose twitched, as though he was attempting to sniff out the intruder. He could hear soft breathing, and small, quiet footsteps. "Who's there?" he growled, voice rough and quiet, laced with menace. He was once again in no mood for company - his foul temper seemingly brewing overnight.

"It's me," Naruto replied quietly, a trace of what _might_ just be optimism in his tones. He knew that would be enough of an introduction for the Uchiha.  
In the faint light from the entrance, Naruto could see the pitiful remains of what had once been Uchiha Sasuke. His hair, once so elegantly groomed, catching light in its perfection, now hung in uneven, hideous disarray. It hung in clumps, grease and dirt staining the almost-blue ebony strands. Although Sasuke was sitting up straight, it hung across his face like a veil, protecting his face from further examination - but Naruto already knew what scarred Sasuke's sickly features.  
The gaping loss of eyes. At least the ANBU had had the decency to bandage them thoroughly after Sakura's terrified reaction the day before.  
"How... are you?" Naruto asked, the oddness of the situation dawning on him. He was here, talking to his ex-teammate and lifetime goal, both of them heavily chakra-repressed and locked up, having returned after almost killing each other in their anger... and he was _asking him how he was_.  
Surreal.

Sasuke's lips twitched up into a sick mockery of what could be called a smile.  
"Fine. Apart from failing my life goal, I'm enjoying myself thoroughly in the beautiful dungeons of Konoha," he snarled back, tones heavy with sarcasm. He paused for a moment, head still tilted to one side - almost as if he was considering his options. Considering the boy in front of him.  
"It's been a while since I've seen your face," he muttered, more to himself than Naruto. He almost wished he could see that smile. Wished he could see anything. Maybe that would have made his living hell a little more bearable. He snorted at such a weak thought, sallow features turning into a sour expression. He spoke no more though; he had never been one to mince words.

Naruto bit back an angry retort to Sasuke's first statement. _It's your own fault, if you hadn't left you wouldn't be here now... _But he knew that doing so would result only in both of them losing their tempers, and Naruto receiving a permanent ban. Not something he wanted to do.  
Sasuke's second sentiment, though, took him completely off-balance. Who would have known that it was possible for something that sounded _so close_ to regret could come from the bastard? Even before he'd left, he had been an anti-social jerk. This kind of reminiscing was... severely out of character. Maybe he'd been drugged. Sedated, probably.  
He suddenly realised that he had been staring at Sasuke while his thoughts distracted him. Maybe it was a good thing that Sasuke was blind; he couldn't see how Naruto's eyes followed his every movement, trying to find some remnant of his Sasuke in the shell before him.  
And then he immediately berated himself for even _thinking_ that this was for better - a Sasuke without eyes _wasn't Sasuke_.  
"I haven't seen yours in a while, either," he replied unthinkingly, before shaking his head violently, but making sure not to make a sound. That was the kind of emotion-filled (Sasuke would call it _weak_) behaviour which brought on Sasuke's temper.

Sasuke paused for a moment, and had he had eyes, his gaze would have been calculating.  
"Last time I checked, you had eyes," he muttered in response, before turning his attention elsewhere. He wondered when Naruto would tell him. _If_ he would tell him. The guards certainly hadn't let anything on - though he supposed that was how they were supposed to act. Just in case he tried to escape.  
They didn't know he truly relished the thought.  
His shoulders hunched slightly, too tired to keep him upright any longer. He flicked his head back up, staring at the spot he hoped Naruto would be located. He was a few too many centimetres to the left, but it didn't matter; he couldn't see to correct himself.  
"So when is it?" he growled wearily. He wanted to spend as little time as possible in the boy's company - simply because somewhere deep down, he felt a strange stir of emotions he couldn't quite place, and one that felt disgustingly close to guilt.  
He rather hoped it wasn't.

Naruto blinked slowly, mind churning as he scanned and discarded numerous ideas for what Sasuke was going on about. When was Sakura coming back? When was he going to be released? When was his trial going to be? When was... he couldn't think of any more.  
"So when's _what_?" Naruto replied, genuine confusion lacing his tones.  
He thought he probably preferred it this way.  
Instead of hot, burning, firey anger and harsh words, it was almost... relaxing... to just sit here in the dark and speak. Calmly. Quietly.  
Naruto wondered, and he realised that he had never expected to even _want_ to speak with Sasuke like this; without insults or bravado. Just the two of them. He decided he rather liked it.  
He opened his mouth suddenly, overwhelmed with the desire just to say _something_, but he didn't let out any of the statements which were bursting to be released.  
_Sasuke, I'm so glad you're back.  
Sasuke, you'll be out of here soon, you can stay with me until you get an apartment.  
Sasuke, don't leave me again..._  
No. He couldn't say _any_ of those, because that would be the number-one way to bring on Sasuke's scorn.  
And he didn't think he could survive through Sasuke's contempt again.

Sasuke snorted. Sometimes, the idiot was so thick.  
Or maybe he was just choosing to ignore it - though that seemed very un-Naruto like. With important things, the blonde generally got to the point.

"My execution," he stated blandly, as though making a casual comment about the of weather, or the state of prison food these days (which was regrettably lacking in any standard whatsoever). He tilted his head to one side, as though considering the boy before him. Calculating. He had expected some kind of supposedly inspirational speech. A speech of 'Don't worry, I'll save you Sasuke!' at which he would once again laugh at, and hopefully send the idiot scurrying. That was becoming an increasingly amusing game, simply because stirring up Naruto had always been one of his old hobbies. The idiot always took the bait - that was what made it fun.  
Thankfully though, he seemed too stupid at the moment to comprehend what he was asking. With a sigh, the Uchiha leaned back, letting what had once been spiky hair become slick with slime. He was so bored of this - so bored of the living corpse he had become.  
So sick and tired of being so weak; so useless.  
He had failed his purpose.  
And now, he expected Konoha would get rid of the evidence of the clan that had once been its most powerful; destroy what was left of the pitiful Uchihas once and for all. He smirked at that.  
He could not wait for the day.

"You're not getting executed!" Naruto exclaimed, anger tainting his voice. Even through his thoughts of _Why would Sasuke think that?!_ he knew that there was a very real reason - Sasuke was a... _traitor_. As much as Naruto tried to deny it, pinning the blame on Itachi's influence, he knew that Sasuke had in fact left the Village to join Orochimaru. Those thoughts were only serving to increase his anger, so before he could lose it again, he stepped back and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his voice was calm; controlled.  
"You're not getting executed, bastard," he repeated. "The ANBU got enough information from you to justify keeping you alive," he growled, still angry that the ANBU had even _considered_ killing Sasuke. And it had taken Tsunade's negotiating to order the cancellation of the execution! But at least Sasuke was safe now. That was what mattered. He was _safe_.  
"It's going to take a couple more months, but... you're going to be released," Naruto finished in wonder. Hope. _Happiness_.  
He felt like doing a little victory dance, but the darkness and general oppression on the room crushed the feeling.  
Maybe he should bring something in here? Chairs, at the very least. That floor didn't look very santized, and the only other option was to stand...  
Maybe if Sasuke lightened up, now that the threat of his imminent death was gone, it wouldn't be so draining to come in here and see him! He was barely recognisable at the moment, in any case - his skin was too white, his hair was too long and dirty, his frame far too thin.

Sasuke could barely contain his surprise at Naruto's statement. They weren't going to... execute him?  
He scowled, and would have turned the full force of a very potent glare upon the boy. However, he once again couldn't, and that very fact made him slouch a little lower, head bowed.  
Oh how lovely. He had given them enough information that they would spare his measly little life - leave one loose end hanging. Not that he was much of a loose end; he could be dead as quick as a heart beat if he made one false move. Why let a traitor cross you twice?  
He snorted, before finally slumping against the ground, ignoring the freezing water that instantly bit at his flesh. He didn't say anything - instead letting his defeated form do all the talking. Now, they had taken away he last chance of freedom. His last escape route.  
And now what was left for him? The life of a cripple; constantly needing to be looked after, cared for, fed, walked. He had been degraded to the level of an animal, and now, they had destroyed his last chance of getting out of it once and for all.  
"Leave," he growled, softly. But just because the command lacked volume did not mean it lacked bite; the single word was laced with a menacing threat, and sounded still quite potent, despite his pitiful form.

Naruto's mind froze. _Leave_?  
And he thought he'd been doing so well... managing to keep a sane conversation with the other boy.  
But _no._  
Sasuke, as always, had told him to leave. Had told him to get out of Sasuke's life, to stop bothering him. Stop trying to help him.  
Naruto growled.  
_The hell I'll listen to you_, he grumbled, before exclaiming, "Hah, just try and _make me_," he challenged, knowing full well that the length of Sasuke's restraining chains would not let him anywhere near where Naruto hovered on the opposite side of the cell.  
And then he swore. What had happened to his decision _not_ to make everyone lose their tempers?! Because Sasuke being unable to defeat Naruto was going to send his temper flaring, and Naruto had never been able to control himself when Sasuke was in the equation...!  
So he left before Sasuke could reply, slamming the door shut behind him and snarling at the guard who came forward. As soon as his chakra repressents were off, he fled the prison, retreating to the relative safety of Sakura. She was in the Hospital, probably in operating on someone, but he could wait for her... he needed to speak, and she was the only one who could understand.

"Don't you _dare_ mock me!" Sasuke snarled at the blond's retreating back. He could hear the quickly retreating footsteps that spoke of defeat. But it sent the boy seething. He had run away after a challenge, but his own response was as good as a retreat regardless. He couldn't do anything. Could barely move, let alone drag the boy back.  
He scowled viciously at the world in general, hating the helplessness the seethed within him. Hating the way he had no say in what happened to him. He scowled, and seethed, and let anger roil up within him and boil and bubble away. From now on, he would simply refuse all contact. Food, people, everyone. He would shut them out, and shut himself in. Then no one would be able to see how weak he had become; how useless he was.  
And how little remained in his life.

~x~

"He isn't speaking," Sakura said in worry as she and Naruto walked back to the Village. In their next visit to Sasuke's cell, Naruto had tried to apologise - even though he _never_ apologised - because he'd known that he'd acted out of place. But that had been met with deafening silence. After that, nothing the two of them had said or done had elicted a response from the Uchiha.  
Naruto didn't reply to Sakura. His voice had given out on him, for the first time _ever_, after Sasuke had refused to rise to anything he'd said. He'd tried baiting him, talking to him, insulting him, he'd even slapped the jerk, but nothing had made the Uchiha react. It had driven Naruto into a furious mess, and it had taken Sakura screaming at him to get him out of the cell before he got a permanent ban. By now he'd calmed down and was thinking. Sasuke obviously didn't want their help, and if he didn't acknowledge that he _needed_ help then it wasn't going to help him... somehow, he and Sakura needed to make him realise that he was slowly degrading in there, slowly losing his touch with reality and with himself...  
It would be too late soon.

~x~

Five days later, Naruto was awoken in the early hours of the morning by a terrified Sakura.  
"What is it, Sakura-chan?" he asked, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He had no doubt that it had something to do with Sasuke - the state of their ex-teammate was the only thing which could rile them up. Sakura's face was white, her breathing erratic.  
"It's Sasuke-kun... Sasuke-kun is _dying_," Sakura gasped.  
Naruto bolted upright. _"What_?" he exclaimed.  
Sakura grasped his wrist and pulled him out of bed, throwing a shirt at his head. "_Hurry up!_" she cried. "He's _dying_!"  
Scrambling to pull on his shirt, Naruto scurried from the room and grabbed his keys, before racing from the apartment and slamming the door closed behind him. Sakura was just steps ahead of him, and as they cleared the apartment complex she spoke again. "Just a minute ago... Konoha Hospital received a report from the prison; Sasuke's chakra has been steadily depleting for the past few days, and suddenly it spiked and then dropped dramatically... when they went in to check his condition, he was unconscious, and he _wasn't breathing_..." Sakura kept on explaining but Naruto tuned her out, instead focusing on forcing his feet to move ever faster. Sasuke was freaking _dying_ and _he couldn't get there fast enough...  
_  
And then they were there. The guards knew them by now and let them in immediately. Naruto was in the lead now, sprinting the fastest he ever had, through the mazes, past hallways and gates, pouding down staircases, until...  
"Let him in!" Sakura called from behind Naruto, and the medics moved aside as Naruto barrelled into the holding room Sasuke had been moved to.  
Naruto's breath caught in his throat. _Sasu... ke..._  
The Uchiha had been released from his chains, his arms were spread out on the ground for the first time in almost two months. Chakra seals had been drawn in a circle around him and the medics, however they couldn't risk putting any directly onto his body - with its fragile state, it would have been a path to certain fatality.  
Sakura was in her element now, asking brisk questions and pulling on a pair of surgical gloves. Tsunade hadn't trusted any of the medics to tend to Sasuke, other than the pink-haired kunoichi. The temptation to accidentally harm him might be too much for the medics, who felt that Sasuke had betrayed them all. She was barking out orders as she strode around the cell, which was lit with a myriad of lights and spotlights.  
But Naruto wasn't paying much attention to her. He was sitting by Sasuke's head, hand out and softly pulling Sasuke's hair from his face. The bandages had been removed, and with them gone it was all-too-easy to see what remained of the last Uchiha. Waxy, sickly skin stretched tightly over high cheekbones, revealing his hollowed-out cheeks and sharp jawline. His eyelids had crumpled inwards and were still bleeding slowly, scarred tissue marring his face. Naruto's breath caught, then his eyes travelling inevitably over the rest of Sasuke's body. The white bodysuit had been stripped off him, and he was wearing only a short pair of pants. Sasuke's body was criss-crossed with scars and wounds, some still healing. His ribs were highly visible in the harsh light, each one casting its own harsh shadow. His wrists looked barely strong enough to hold his hands, or the bony, veined limb which was connected to it. His bones stood out in high definition against his weak skin -  
And then Sakura was gently pulling him away, her eyes understanding but unmoving. He was left at one of the walls, far from Sasuke's form. Sakura's commanding voice was above all the others, and he listened as if through a filter as Sakura instructed an IV drip to be inserted into his arm, and prepared to jolt Sasuke's heart. Sakura's hands were glowing green, emphasizing the glint in her eyes, and then her hands were pressed to Sasuke's form _(Naruto couldn't retain a growl)_ and chakra was pouring through his body...

Everything had simply faded into darkness; shadows melting, becoming fuzzy, as all the small details simply blurred out. Sasuke's lips had been drawn into a weak smile, as he accepted the blurry, fuzzy warmth that numbed his body and made everything fade to a darker shade than black.

When thin lips had parted to once again let in live giving air, his whole body had jolted back into focus; lungs taking swift, short breaths, heart suddenly forced back to life. Too startled to react, he had let the natural _need_ to breathe take over, heart pumping frantically as his lungs forced brittle ribs to lift and fall in an unsteady tempo. Each breath was ragged and sore but felt almost... _good_. Until he realized that breathing meant he was awake; and awake meant he was alive. The almost pleasant smile he had worn in near death was twisted into a horribly sour expression as he realized what must have happened. They had once again brought him back from death - and he would once again be lumped back into his living hell. He was tired of the dank smell. Tired of the damp.  
But most of all, tired of the memories that continued to haunt him when he was left there to brood. He would just replay what had happened over and over again. Forcing himself to relive every moment of stark, blinding _burning_ pain in detail. Relieving every mistake, and what he could have done better - thinking that if he had just moved faster, jumped higher, been _better_ he could have done it. And he would have completed his revenge.  
It would have felt so sweet.  
And now, what was he left with? A weak body, too frail to move - mind too scattered to piece together any genius that had once been. He was a tattered mess, and a disgraceful end to a once regal line of ninja. He was almost the last, and easily the most pathetic, of the Uchiha clan. A once proud legacy, stained now with his own weakness. He growled inwardly. He had almost ended everything, and once again, they had stopped him.  
"Let... me... die..." he managed to choke out, voice battling with his lungs for air, and his body demanding he stop frivolous things such as talking and concentrate on more important things; like breathing.

Naruto heard Sasuke's words as if they were on repeat. The three words which had just ripped a hole in Naruto's heart were echoing through his mind, warping and destroying and semblance of 'normal' or 'control' that he had managed to retain through his terrifying horror.  
_Let me die.  
Let me die.  
Let me die...  
_Unable to contain the grumbling roar which made its way through his grinding teeth, Naruto clenched his fist and smashed it into the wall beside him. "_Bastard..._" he growled. "How _dare_ you say... _that_?!"  
Infinitely closer to Sasuke than he was, Sakura was also speaking, though her voice was quieter; more contained. "Sasuke-kun, we're bringing you up to health now, soon all the pain will go away," she soothed. Even as she spoke, her hands were dancing nimbly along Sasuke's body, once again pouring her chakra into his cells. Bleeding halted, muscles relaxed, lungs breathed more easily as her hands passed by, bringing the green light with them. Sakura's face was like a mask as she continued to calmly evaluate Sasuke's condition, taking in fractures, muscle degeneration and extreme malnutrition in stride.

_I'm so... useless..._ Naruto realised in a cross of horror and apathy. The conflicting emotions were reflected on his face. His eyes were lidded as he watched the scene unfolding before him, and yet his fists were trembling. _Sasuke... I can't help him now. I can't do __**anything**__ for him... _His gaze travelled from Sasuke's gasping form to Sakura's face. _She's helping... she's saving Sasuke's life..._  
_**She's**__ saving Sasuke...  
_In an instant, the puzzle pieces fit together.  
_**I**__ never helped Sasuke... __**Sakura**__ saved him.  
_Back when they were Genin, the newly-formed Team 7. Sakura had adored Sasuke, had given him the admiration and respect the Uchiha had thrived upon. Helped him to believe that he had a reason to stay; as the strongest rookie.  
The Chuunin Exams. Sakura had been the one to protect Sasuke from the Sound ninja. Sasuke had even taken his revenge on the shinobi who had hurt Sakura.  
The three-year gap, and then their reunion in Orochimaru's base. Sakura had never stopped loving Sasuke. Never stopped believing there was something worth saving in Sasuke.  
When they'd found him after his battle with Itachi, bleeding, unmoving, _dying_... She had been the one to bring him back, to save his life while he stood by.  
_And now... she's saving him again...  
She saved Sasuke._Unseen from his location at the back of the cell, Naruto sank slowly, collapsing onto the ground. His head fell backwards, hitting the wall with a dull _thud_. But even as his mind tore itself apart in the realisation that _he hadn't done __**anything**__ for Sasuke_ his eyes couldn't help but rest upon the scene ahead of him. Sakura's face was determined, controlled, lit up by her medical jutsu. Calling out orders to various other medics and slowly but surely bringing Sasuke back.

I... failed.

_I __**failed**__._

Sasuke twitched at her soothing words.  
"_Stop," _he growled, voice soft. Weak. Pathetic. He let himself fall backward - let his body simply soak up the healing energy. With any luck, she would repair him enough that he could walk. So he could use his hands; and _that_ would certainly be useful. Then they would see that all their hard work had been in vain.  
All their training, all their pining. He had never needed them, and now, they couldn't save him. Just like they could never save him.  
Because the only thing he needed rescuing from was himself.  
He twitched his fingers, slowly, slowly. Chakra was seeping through his entire system, fixing still open wounds, boosting his own chakra levels (though they would not rise very high - the chakra seal around him stopped that) and knitting together healing fractures. Now all that he needed was probably food and he would be fine; except he was in no mood to eat anything. It hadn't been the gnawing pain, or the ache of old wounds that had driven him to this.  
It was _them_.  
He continued to twitch his fingers; testing. Maybe soon... soon. As soon as he could stand, he would do something. Anything.  
He couldn't be put back in that cell - it haunted him, echoing back every sound. Taunting, with the door so close, and yet so far.  
No.  
He would not return there.  
Within a few seconds, he was sure enough of his limbs; it had been awhile, but despite their thinness, everything seemed to be in working order. Without saying a word, he propped himself up on an elbow; slowly, gingerly, gritting his teeth slightly as still healing bones rubbed against each other. But he didn't stop; he pushed himself upright, brushing off her hands.  
"_Stop,_" he growled again, though softer this time. He swayed slightly, unsure of his surroundings. He hadn't seen anything, and yet this felt brilliant - finally, **finally **he had freedom again. This time, he aimed for bigger - he pushed his body into a crouch, before in one swift movement pulling himself upright. It felt... beautiful. Upright, standing, at _last_. He took an unsteady step, curious as to why no one had bothered to stop him yet - perhaps they were just as amazed as he was. His hands were thrust out awkwardly at his sides in some attempt at balance. At some weird attempt to walk; his knees shook, puny and bony. His entire frame was so thin, it looked as though he could simply be swept away by a small breeze - and yet it felt so empowering. To finally be walking without chains.  
And now there was just one left to remove.  
His blindness.

"Sasuke-kun, lay down! Sasuke-kun, you're going to hurt yourself if you don't stop, your body isn't ready to move yet -!" Sakura's high-pitched worry continued as medics scrambled around the room, checking on beeping monitors, reinforcing the chakra circle and bringing over sedatives.  
"No!" Naruto protested, despite himself. They couldn't sedate Sasuke again, not when he'd finally shown some initiative...  
And then Sakura passed through his line of sight and he fell back against the wall.  
He didn't deserve to have a say in what happened to Sasuke.  
He couldn't even keep a promise. _Sakura_ had fulfilled it.  
So what made him think he had a right in what she did?

"Give those to me!" Sakura ordered quickly, hair falling into her eyes as she darted around Sasuke and grabbed a syringe from a tray one of the medics was holding. That done, she stepped in front of Sasuke, even though she knew that he couldn't see her, and spoke clearly, if with an anxious note in her voice. "Sasuke-kun, I will be forced to sedate you if you don't sit," she warned.  
Just how she was planning to inject the fluid with the way that Sasuke was wobbling as he tried to stand, she didn't know, but she knew she would have to. Sasuke's muscles had begun to degrade in his immoving state. This had never happened before, because usually high-security prisoners were reckless and tried to break out of their bonds - so their muscles didn't have the chance to waste away. Sasuke had been different. He had been unmoving. Silent. Wasting away, and _no one had noticed. _Sakura felt sick. She couldn't believe that she hadn't seen the symptoms before - except that the white bodysuit covered all his skin, and his hair and bandages had prevented his face from being seen. Although she knew logically that there hadn't really been a way for her to realise, she still kicked herself about it.

She'd thought she was an adept medic. She'd thought that if she worked hard enough, long enough, that she would be able to help others. To help Sasuke. That had been her motivation since he'd left. _Help Sasuke_.  
And she couldn't do it.  
She could fix his bones, she could heal his bleeding, she could bring him back from the edge of death...  
And yet she couldn't help Sasuke.  
He never spoke to her without a cover on his voice. When he spoke to Naruto, then his voice was brimming with anger, hostility, bitterness, irritation. True emotions. When he spoke to _her_, though, there was always that mask on top. It made his voice softer, calmer. But it wasn't Sasuke's voice, and so Sakura didn't even know who Sasuke really was anymore.  
She couldn't help Sasuke, because Sasuke refused her help.  
Her motivation for her work up until now; help Sasuke.  
_Help Sasuke._  
She'd failed.

Only Naruto could reach him. Only Naruto could penetrate the veil Sasuke had put up between himself and the rest of the world.  
With his bright smile and oblivious nature, Naruto had managed to worm his way into Sasuke's life when they were Genin, while Sakura herself had been left out in the dark.  
As time progressed, Sasuke's shield had grown stronger, thicker, until only Naruto could get in.  
They were equals by the time Sasuke left... and back then, _she_ had been worse than useless; she had literally been dragging the team back.  
Three years, and their reunion - Sasuke had spoken only to Naruto. He had only acknowledged _Naruto_.  
Finding him those months ago... Naruto had elicited a response from him, while she had _fainted_.  
And _now_... during these visits, Sasuke had never responded to her. He had always reacted to Naruto, though.  
_Naruto_ could reach Sasuke, but she couldn't.  
She couldn't help Sasuke.  
Only Naruto could.

Sasuke snarled, head instantly flicking forward. He would not be sedated. He _refused_ to be put back down there; anywhere, _anywhere_ would be better than there.  
But he was not going back.  
Lithe fingers wrapped tightly about the girls wrists; using her to not only steady himself, but stop her from stabbing him with the sedatives. He refused to go back to the damp, dark confines of his cell. Back to the memories, and the echos of his own laughter that just wouldn't stop. He refused to go back to the isolation that was killing him oh so slowly. He'd much prefer to simply attempt an escape - he knew he wouldn't get far. But with an attempted escape to his name, they would be forced to permanently tie up their loose end. He smirked at the thought.  
"Stand down, Sakura," he snarled, voice soft - muted by the rough edge his tones always carried these days. His grip around her wrists strengthened, and he pulled her a little closer - he could sense the chakra repressant. And if _his_ chakra was repressed within its confines, then so would hers. And then, perhaps, it would be a slightly more equal footing.  
Perhaps if he used her as a hostage...

His feet stumbled slightly, and his head swam. Which way was up again? He wasn't quite sure it mattered much, because as long as he kept a firm grip on Sakura, he remained upright - and while he was up, he still had a fighting chance. And then, perhaps finally, he could taste the freedom he so lusted after. Death had been a sensation that hovered over him for quite some time. Always so close, but he never quite reached it. But this... they could not ignore the direct assault on one of their own; especially a rather gifted kunoichi like Sakura. This was what... the second time she had held him back from the brink of death? Nursed him back to life in a manner of minutes, and replenished his strength enough that he could do all this. Really, he should have thanked her. She was being _so_ much more useful than Naruto.  
His brain seethed at the name; the blonde had even gone as far as to slap him the last visit. But he supposed that his pride had already been trampled on enough. After all, when he had been fastened in the body suit they had had to _feed_ _him_ - his chain never allowed to be loosened, his hands never untied.  
He smirked once again; a bitter, cruel twist of once handsome features, now sunken and sallowed from months spent beneath Konoha. His skin was so pale it was transparent - every blue tinged vein practically visible.  
He was a living corpse, in every sense of the word.  
But not for long.  
"Don't move," he hissed, not sure of how many he was speaking to. And while he was weak, and scarred, and probably not quite sane, at that moment, he held at least some advantage. And he would not loose it for anything.

There was a cacophony of shouts and exclamations as Sakura's wrists were held in a strong grip, despite Sasuke's weakness. Sakura's chakra was flowing through him, though, so it was probably that strength which was being used. It was cruelly ironic that Sakura's own chakra was restraining her. But although Sasuke looked more than slightly deranged at the moment, Sakura's face was calm; pained even.  
"Everyone quiet!" she called, and the ruckus around the pair slowly died away, until there was silence but the machine's whirring and beeping. "Sasuke-kun," she whispered. "I don't want to hurt you... please let me go."  
She stared at his face, taking in his face and the gaping loss there with only the slightest of tremors. The skin was still torn and raw, despite the months since the loss of his eyes. In direct contrast to the redness there, his face was almost blue; a testament to the paleness and transparency of his skin. Back when they were both genin, one of the reasons she had first fallen for him were his looks - and in particular the paleness of his skin and darkness of his eyes. His eyes were gone now, and his skin was sickly. And yet, she still loved him.  
"Sasuke-kun, you won't go back to that cell," she said, even more quietly than before. "You can come live with us. Do you want that?"  
He had to accept.  
He _had_ to.  
Then Sakura could tell herself that maybe, just _maybe_, she could still help him. If she had more time, maybe she could help him, like Naruto did. She couldn't rile Sasuke up and bring out his anger, but perhaps she could be gentle with him. Soft, accommodating, gentle. Helpful.  
That was all she wanted.  
She wanted to help Sasuke.  
She _had_ to help Sasuke, or her whole life would have been a waste of time.  
But as she looked into his face, she felt her heart sink. This man wasn't her Sasuke-kun, despite sharing the same name. Could she help him, when she didn't even know him?  
She didn't know, but she had to try.  
"Please, Sasuke-kun," she murmured desperately.

Sasuke almost chuckled, flipping the girl round so her back was pressed tightly against his chest. The maneuver was rather difficult; he nearly stumbled backwards, but used Sakura to hold himself upright. His fingers slowly drifted from her wrist to her hand, wrapping around the hilt of the rather long needle. He was glad it was in hand. His right was dominant, and thankfully not as weak as his left. His chin rested gently over her shoulder, left arm slowly snaking around her left, and pulling it into a hold - thumb to wrist. It didn't require much strength, and if she struggled, he could break the wrist in a heartbeat. Now, to get that syringe out of her hand... She had a tight grip herself, but her chakra was still flowing into him; he was feeling much better by the minute. She didn't seem to want to stop, either. He smirked. Bonds only weakened one, and lead to destruction. That was why he could never trust them - never let his guard down.  
Trusting people lead to weakness, and weakness lead to death.

Finally managing to fist his way to the syringe, he smirked, breathing a little haggard. This was more than he had done in quite some time - but already, he could taste freedom.  
"Was that a threat?" he growled, snickering softly. "Why would I trust someone to keep their word, when they had just threatened me? Saying soothing things won't work," he almost snapped in her ear, as fingers slowly inched their way up her arm - he had to make it to her throat before she could stop him, and before the other medics decided his little game had gone too far.  
His lithe fingers danced up along her side - wrist, elbow, upper arm-... He snorted in surprise, swiftly skirting something rather round and soft that his fingers had brushed past accidentally. He hadn't meant to do that - but it was okay now, because he was swiftly moving away from the violated area.  
Collar bones... throat...  
The cool metal was pressed against her skin, his fingers blindly attempting to find the part of the needle used to inject the sedatives. But for the minute, he felt the threat alone was enough.  
"Back away," he snapped coolly, voice rough, soft, and rather menacing.

Sakura stared at the varied expressions on the medics in front of her. Shock, disgust, fear, disbelief. She herself was feeling a mix all of these feelings. She could feel her back tingling where it was pressed closely to Sasuke's bare chest. Her cheeks were burning as his fingers slowly made their way up her side. The moment was broken when she felt the cool metal of the syringe - still held in her own hand, but now controlled by Sasuke - touch her neck. With that, a strangled cry broke from her throat, and had she been able to, her head would have dropped in shame.  
_She couldn't do anything._  
She was strong enough, more than strong enough, to physically overpower him, inject the sedatives, and continue treating him.  
She had the chakra control and focus to stop the flow from her system to his; in fact to pull some back, and leave him weak.  
She could tell any one of the medics to help her, to take out Sasuke and set her free.  
_But she couldn't_.  
It was the bitter, humiliating truth. She had longed to be held like this by Sasuke, and although he was now a madman intent on killing himself, although this wasn't the Sasuke she had come to know and love, although she knew that the reason she was pressed up against him was because she was his _hostage_, she couldn't move. His touch was nothing like she had imagined it would be - but it was something which seemed just right. Conflicting, but that was like _her_ Sasuke-kun. This touch was both harsh and gentle, both demanding and respecting, both needy and rejecting.  
Her eyes squeezed shut, as her cheeks continued to burn red. She was thankful that Sasuke couldn't see what he was doing to her.  
She tried to speak, realised her mouth was too dry, licked her lips and tried again. "Do what he says," she said hoarsely. The medics were whispering amongst themselves, but they obeyed her and moved out of the circle, leaving a wide space around the two of them.

Naruto was trembling by now, growling in the back of his throat and desperately trying to stay in control. He could feel his chakra bubbling, and he knew that if he lost control, he would be harming innocent medics and, more importantly, his _teammates_. But the way that Sasuke had taken Sakura hostage so quickly enraged him, and the fact that Sakura wasn't doing anything in retaliation was even worse...  
But then again, she could do what she wanted. _She_ was the one who had saved Sasuke, so she was the one who knew him better. If she thought this was right, then he'd just go alone with it. As much as it made him want to rip something apart, he'd go along with it.  
But despite his decision, there was a lonely cry echoing from the back of his mind.  
_Why Sakura? Why did Sakura have to be the one to save you, Sasuke? Why did she have to be the one who knows you?  
Why couldn't I have saved you? I want to understand you, I want to help you...  
Why did you choose Sakura?  
Why not me?  
_  
Sasuke smirked. This was going well. Maybe there weren't so many medics present? Perhaps he had misjudged their numbers. He had had only his ears to rely on, after all. And counting voices was rather difficult when they hardly spoke. He paused a moment, deciding what to do... As soon as he stepped out of the chakra restraint, Sakura would be able to unleash whatever jutsu she chose fit. His playing field advantage would quickly dissipate. The only thing he could do... was perform a substitution jutsu? He just needed a swift one - or perhaps just a transportation jutsu. Something quick. Something that would get him away, swiftly. But he didn't have enough chakra to preform either - and he could feel it. The sudden realization of just how short sighted this plan was dawned on him. But still... if he killed her now, that would be warrant enough for the others to take him down. Killing another ninja in cold blood had become easy for him, anyway.

Years of practice (though he had always avoided killing innocents, as much as was possible).

The syringe was pressed a little tighter as he weighed his options. There was little point in running - he could barely stand. There was no point in attempting jutsu - the chakra restraints were already sucking up some of the chakra he had regained, thanks to Sakura.  
And if he killed her... well, if he killed her, then he would also be killed.  
The needle was raised slightly, ready for a stab.  
If had been his fickle temper that had saved Naruto last time. That was what he had kept telling himself.  
Then why was his hand stalling? He had hers weakly entwined with his own - he knew she could feel him lifting her arm. Readying himself for the strike.  
Perhaps his temper really was rather fickle.  
He released her hand shakily, stumbling back slowly.  
"Kidding," he murmured with a scowl, hands up, long bony fingers splayed high as he showed how he possessed no weaponry.  
Perhaps it was for the best, anyway.  
He had never liked killing innocents.

Sakura had instinctively tilted her head backwards as the needle pressed dangerously closely to her jugular. His jaw line was brushing her temple, his uneven breathing making her fringe move. "Sasuke-kun...!" she breathed in desperation. Her humiliation was still as strong as when it started; and it only increased when she realised that even if Sasuke were to stab her, she probably wouldn't even be able to react. She couldn't harm Sasuke, and that was the simple fact.  
But then his hand was gone, and her fingers cried out for the lost warmth. Her arm dropped to hang limply by her side as she stared forward in shock, hearing Sasuke's voice just by her ear; the acknowledgement that he couldn't do anything more. Then before she could think, she had whirled around and flung her arms around his body, face buried in his chest. Her shoulders were shaking, and her voice trembled as she cried desperately; "_Please_ come with me, please come stay with us, we can help you, we can save you, _please_, Sasuke-kun...!"

Naruto was shaking by now, unable to keep his body still. His eyes were glowing ruby-coloured, and it was only sheer willpower which stopped him from leaping forward and tearing into something, everything, _anything_.  
Why was it_ Sakura_ who could get such a response from Sasuke?!  
Why was it _Sakura_ who could embrace Sasuke?!  
Why was it _Sakura_ who could save him?!  
_Why wasn't it __**him**__ there?!_  
He turned and left abruptly, breaking into a full-out sprint as his feet his the outside corridor. Back through the mazes, the cobblestone floors, the flickering lights and chakra seals. Back through the darkness and danger to the outside world.  
Away from Sasuke, and away from Sakura. Away from his uncontrollable emotions and exploding anger. Away from his feelings when he saw Sasuke and Sakura so close.  
Away from his anger.  
Away from his despair.  
Away from his _jealousy_.

Sasuke stumbled this time; weak legs that could barely sustain his own weight were forced to carry Sakura's as well, and his knees simply crumpled beneath the onslaught. He gave no cry of dismay, or surprise, but the sudden physical contact caught him off guard. He didn't know how to react, but when his brittle frame came into contact with the harsh, cold floor, his initial reaction was anger. His body twitched at the new pain that laced through his head and spine. He had nothing to cushion his fall, and now, he was once again grounded.  
And probably sentenced to prison for life. He snarled, pushing her off roughly.  
"Off," he simply snapped. And between the snippets of disrespectful comments, and cries of unrest, he heard footsteps. A retreat.  
Why did he always hear those footsteps?

He snorted, brushing the thought from his mind - he would have plenty of time to mull over it later, he suppose. Later, when he would be enjoying his life sentence to those dark, damp dungeons, where he could fade away to nothing. The thought was almost pleasant.  
If it wasn't for the horrid damp, and the ever constant _dripdripdrip_, and the memories that would not stop stalking him at every turn, he would almost consider it pleasant.  
Unsure of what to do next, he propped himself up on his elbows once more, face returning to its neutral mask, as he mock surveyed his surroundings, attempting to gain some feeling of normalcy, just to calm himself.

"Please, Sasuke-kun..." Sakura's voice trailed off when she saw the blank face which was Sasuke's. She wasn't getting through to him. She knew it, and it _hurt_.  
His one-word order was sharp and short. Her face still registering shock, she pushed herself up off Sasuke's painfully thin form. Her fingers brushed along his shoulders, and they burned from the cold. "Sasuke-kun... believe me, I will get you out of here," she breathed, unsure of whether Sasuke could even hear her words. There was another split second of silence before the ring of medics exploded into action, yelling orders, reconnecting the IV drip (which had come out when Sasuke rose), even reinforcing the chakra circle. One medic picked up the dropped sedative-filled syringe and approached Sasuke, only to be stopped by Sakura. "_No_!" she cried, quickly standing in between the medic and where Sasuke was lying on the ground. "No, you can't sedate him, just give him some food and let him rest... but not in his cell!" Sakura ordered panicingly.  
"Sakura-sama," the faceless medic began, but Sakura shook her head. "No! I absolutely _forbid_ any of you to sedate him! This is an order from your superior," she brought out desperately. It was true; Sakura had risen to a high level Konoha Hospital, so she was perfectly entitled to give orders to other medics, however up until now she had never done so.  
The medic hesitated, obviously torn between Sakura's orders and the orders of the Hokage. "I'm sorry, Sakura-sama, but Tsunade-sama..." they explained, before moving forward again.  
"You can't!" Sakura cried, unconsciously refining her chakra and sending it to her muscles. As the medic kneeled by Sasuke's side, she struck out, sending both syringe and medic flying. That action was met with a complete halt, all action and sounds coming to a sudden end. All pairs of eyes were turned towards Sakura as she gasped, finally aware of what she had just done. She was still in shock as she was put into chakra-restraining cuffs and moved outside the room. A nurse accompanied her out of the complex, and towards the Hokage's building.  
_  
What... did I do...? _she thought blankly, even though she was fully aware of what she had done. She had let her feelings for Sasuke get in the way of his medical treatment. She could only imagine how much of a threat she would have appeared to be... Sasuke's teammate, who was known to love him, and also one of the strongest shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. If she had tried to fight her way out of the complex, and take Sasuke with her, she knew she would have been able to.  
She'd lost control.  
Which was why she was currently being marched up the stairs to the Hokage's office.

~x~

Sasuke revelled in the silence for but a few moments - the clatter of a person and possible medical equipment rung through the small hall, the complete standstill that followed was almost calming. Except for the sound of heavy clamps (chakra cuffs being placed on someone) and someone being led away. The silence lasted but another second, until the room nearly exploded with a thousand harsh whispers. The rattling of medical equipment. And suddenly he was swept up again, seals being replaced, horrible heavy cuffs as well. He was led off swiftly, stumbling through hallway after hallway, roughly dragged along with the occasional; "There are stairs here," or "That's a wall." Sasuke shuddered at the sheer presence of so many people pressed in on him - but something exciting lay ahead.  
He knew, because he could smell the sweet, clean air.  
For so long his lungs had been clouded with the taste of dirty, musty air - it reeked of mold, of darkness.  
Of death.  
But he could sense the rooms getting lighter - the floor did not feel as cold beneath his feet. Occasionally, he could feel the light from a window dance across his skin as he was whisked through the halls.  
Light.  
It had been so long since he had breathed it, smelt it, _lived_ it.  
Perhaps too long.  
And just as suddenly as his little parade had started, it came to a halt - a rough and jolted one at that. He heard someone open a door - muttering something under their breath, probably to unlock a guarding seal. Without any words, he was led into this new place. They swiftly draped some simple clothes about his shoulders - hiding his stick thin form from show. He was being swept away into a corner of the prison, just like dirt under a carpet - a stain better forgotten. The chain about his wrists were different now - they felt lighter. The medics, and probably guards, swiftly left the room, leaving him to his own devices. The loud '_thump!'_ he heard assured him that the door was thick and reinforced. But it didn't matter, because he was no longer attached to a wall - now, he was free to roam in what was probably a completely padded room. He could practically see the white, plush walls, soft enough to sleep on. He could certainly feel the soft carpet beneath his feet - so different to what he had been used to.  
But still - it did not matter. These small freedoms were little comforts to what lay a head.  
Now, to add to his charges was attempted kidnapping - and THAT was something they couldn't simply ignore. He smirked to himself. Perhaps things would still turn out in his favor - and he would _finally_ gain some peace.

~x~

Shizune scurried swiftly out of the office; one of the medics had come to Tsunade, raging about the way her student was acting - and not only her student, but how the entire procedure had been turned upside down. Tsunade hadn't moved throughout the entire speech, her head slowly sinking to rest atop her hands. Shzune stood swiftly to attention - she knew when the woman was thinking deeply.  
"Retrieve them, and this time, we will not be permitting them anywhere _near_ Sasuke," she sighed, a hand instantly coming to her brow, as she closed sharp, hazel eyes. Shizune nodded swiftly, and had darted from the office - which was when she spotted Sakura-san.  
In cuffs.  
She was swiftly by the girls side, with a kind nod and smile at the nurse, who left the two immediately - probably returning to the scene of the crime, and the culprit.  
"Sakura-san, Tsunade-sama would like to see you now," she said simply, not exactly certain why she was restrained. With a small frown, she clutched the girls shoulder; she looked shaken, and paler than usual. She would bring up some tea - and maybe a bottle of sake. And some extra chairs; what Tsunade had to say was definitely important.

Shizune hurried Sakura up the remaining stairs - she hoped Tsunade would have a set of master keys - these cuffs certainly did not suit Sakura's gentle nature.

~x~

Naruto shot a rather potent glare at his keeper, who was currently pushing him (and not particularly _gently_ either) towards the Hokage tower. He just caught a glimpse of a mop of pink hair disappearing into the building - so Sakura was there already. He felt a slight twinge, and quickly averted his gaze, glaring rather grumpily at his toes.  
"Naruto, cheer up," murmured Kakashi in his usual quiet-yet-cheery tones. His sensei was walking beside him, a single hand resting on his shoulder - but a hand with an iron grip no less. Despite the lazy nature of his stance and words, Naruto could not help but see it as an order; and promptly pouted.  
This was no time to be cheery; in fact, happiness was the farthest thought in his mind. Right now, he was bogged deep in a rather deep pile of despair, and was quite ready to sink into it and let the raw feelings of anguish roll over him.  
He had never been one to take failure lightly.  
The two trudged up the Hokage tower - silence reigned between them, Kakashi content to look lazily forward, and Naruto itching for a chance to sneak away and recoil into himself. A few moments (or _years_) would be all he needed - just somewhere quiet. Quiet like... he stopped, shaking his head, and almost sheepishly running a hand through it. He just... couldn't bear thinking about it any more. Couldn't bare to think of all the ways he had blundered, had made things worse - had widened the rift slowly growing between them.  
It wasn't like him to take defeat like this; but then, not everyone was _him_.  
Suddenly, he was snapped back to reality by a door, that was coming very swiftly to connect with his face. He only just managed to shove it open in time - which seemed to snap Kakashi back to the present too. He noted, dryly, that the man was yet to visit their team mate - the reason still alluding him.  
Kakashi blinked, slowly opening his one visible eye - it seemed he had been deep in thought as well.  
He did that strange smile he always pulled - eye turning into a happy crescent, mask twitching slightly with his lips. Naruto shook his head with a sigh, but any sort of laughter died in his throat. He just... couldn't.

Tsunade looked up wearily from her desk. They were all here - Shizune already having unlocked Sakura, and directed her to a chair - placing a small cup of water in the kunoichi's shaking fingers. Naruto was here too - finally. She was glad she had sent Kakashi - he needed to hear this as well, she supposed.  
Sitting up a little straighter, she let hard, brown eyes grace each of her companions - her gaze as straight and firm as the old trees that guarded the village.  
"I have called you all here," she began, almost imperiously, her voice instantly tuning to its normal 'I-am-telling-you-something-important' tone; which she found she used with particular direction to Naruto for some reason, "to inform you of what our trackers have found." She paused briefly, eying each one in turn once more; she was referring to those who had initially broken from the original search party, before this whole mess of a situation had begun - Hinata, Shino, Kiba and Yamato.  
"They have returned, and with important news. They observed Itachi Uchiha returning to the company of his comrades - a man we know as Tobi, wearing a bright orange mask, and another man, Zetsu. Both are from the Akatsuki." She paused once more to catch her breath, looking for reactions - shock, horror, she expected. She knew the other two partly blamed the eldest Uchiha for what he had done to Sasuke - how he had mutilated his younger brother into the twisted man they now had in their care. She almost sighed, but resisted the urge - instead signalling for Shizune to get out her sake. She would definitely need some - and she presumed her two younger charges might need a drop themselves.  
"The event has been recorded as follows," she continued, before rifling through some papers on her desk, pulling out a rather scruffy looking report - no doubt copied out as the event unfolded:

_Itachi strode towards the others. He was limping heavily, skin dyed a dark crimson - he was tired. Tobi rested a hand on the mans shoulder. Probably the only thing keeping the eldest Uchiha upright.  
"It is done," he managed in his deep tones, voice gravelly from the battle, like every breath was laboured. Zetsu handed him a cloak - Itachi took it with a nod, wrapping in blearily around his shoulders.  
"Good," muttered Tobi, who gave another nod of his head, releasing the man's shoulder. The smirk he wore was apparent in his tones; "Today, we have destroyed an annoying barrier - but also a potentially useful chess piece," the man mused, turning his back on the others. Itachi shook his head, almost smiling.  
"It is best that Sasuke is no longer a concern," Itachi spoke simply, but emotion was far too apparent in his voice. Zetsu gave him a side long glance.  
Tobi, apparently ignoring the exchange, waved a hand casually. "Enough. It is done now. Let us get out of here," he waited for neither of them, before launching himself quickly into the branches, already out of sight.  
Zetsu walked forward a few steps, before changing his mind. He glanced over his shoulder.  
"For your sake, Itachi, I hope you let nothing... cloud your judgment." The plant-man gave him a long glance, before sinking into the earth. Itachi seemed to pause for a moment, before he darted after the others._

"Unfortunately, after this, our trackers swiftly lost track of them - no doubt some genjutsu played upon them," Tsunade finished, laying the report before her. She looked around to the others, almost gauging whether the information had any impact. She somehow doubted it would phase the two youngsters - their minds far too focussed on the present.  
"Anyway," she almost murmured, softly changing the subject. "As to the reason why _you_ were in cuffs," her sharp gaze falling on Sakura. "I do not wish to know what exactly it was that transpired down there. But I think it is safe to say that _neither _of you will be granted visiting rights any time soon," she snorted, her voice stern. Steely.  
There was no room for compromise in her voice. No room for anything other than what she just ordered.

Any reaction Naruto had to the Hokage's revelation about the Akatsuki was instantly cast aside as her last statement penetrated his mind. Despite the certainty in her words, Naruto couldn't help but let his anger boil up. "_What_?!" he growled. _Why couldn't he see that bastard, Goddammit! __**He**__ hadn't done anything to provoke him! _"Tsunade," Naruto ground out, leaving off the usual affectionate suffix, "You _have_ to let me see him," Naruto ordered. Seeing Tsunade's uncompromising expression, he exploded, letting all his pent up emotions - despair, anger, relief, bitterness, hostility, jealousy, _fury_ - out as he literally saw red. His eyes glowed like red-hot coals, his hair stirred uneasily in his bubbling chakra. His lips were already suffering from the Kyuubi's chakra; burning and scarring and turning black as he screamed; "_You __**have**__ to let me see him!_"  
He knew he was dangerously close to losing it, if he hadn't already, but the cloud of outrage was hindering his reasoning. "_Tsunade you __**can't**__ keep me away_!"  
_It was __**Sakura**__ who did it! __**Sakura**__ not me!  
_"I didn't do ANYTHING!" Naruto roared, striding forward and slamming his hands down on Tsunade's desk, chakra the colour of fire flickering across the paperwork, burning it all black -

"_Naruto_!" Sakura cried in dismay as her teammate quickly lost control of himself. "Naruto, _don't_!" she exclaimed, flinging herself to her feet and almost crushing the mug of water that Shizune-sempai had been kind enough to give her before. The cool water had been useful in calming her do-  
With a gasp as she realised what to do, she darted forward and dumped the contents of the mug into Naruto's face, letting the cold water hiss as it came into contact with Naruto's thin sheen of red chakra. "Naruto, _listen_!" she said desperately. "Control yourself!"

The Kyuubi was whispering things to him, malicious traitorous _evil_ things, and yet Naruto couldn't help but be swept up into them. His face and eyes stung a little from the sudden cold, and he turned slowly to glare at the nuisance.  
_Sakura._  
_**She's the one who **__**embraced**__** Sasuke.  
**__She helped him, she saved him, she has the right-  
__**Because of her we can't see **__**him**__** now.  
**__Sakura helped him, Sakura saved him-  
__**She destroyed our reason for **__**living...**_  
_But... Sakura...  
__**She ruined everything...  
**__She... ru... no...  
__**She ruined EVERYTHING; our reason to live, our dream, our goal, our life, **__**she took your Sasuke!**__**  
**__Damnit!  
_"Get away from me!" Naruto roared, slamming his hand down on the table.  
"But... Naruto...!" she stammered, fear evident in her wide green eyes.  
There was a twinge of what might just be concern, but the Kyuubi's anger drove out any of Naruto's forgiveness. "_GO AWAY!_" he bellowed, backhanding the girl across her cheek and sending her stumbling backwards.  
"Let me see Sasuke," he hissed at Tsunade, turning his gaze back to burn the older woman.

Tsunade was fuming to herself now - _this_ was the reason he would not be allowed anywhere NEAR the Uchiha.  
"NARUTO YOU WILL RESTRAIN YOURSELF _AT ONCE!" s_he snapped, pushing herself upright, hands slammed on the desk in front of her, ignoring the cracks that riveted the surface. Kakashi was already unzipping one of his pockets, reaching for the seal...

And then Naruto went and did it - Sakura was slapped viciously backwards, straight into Shizune; the woman had already readied herself for the girls weight, and caught them both, thankfully remaining upright. But the burnt hand print across Sakura's cheek spoke volumes - and this time, Tsunade would not turn a blind eye.  
"**You will stand down Naruto, and be RESTRAINED if this behaviour continues!**" she bellowed, her brow furrowed, mouth turned into a rather vicious snarl of her own. She would not tolerate this kind of behaviour, all on the behalf of a half crazed man, who was slowly rotting away on the depths of Konoha's prison.  
But it was alright now, because Kakashi had the seal - in less than three steps, he had slammed it straight into Naruto's stomach, braving the viciously burning chakra. But she was already focussing back on Sakura, darting round the desk and placing a gentle touch on the girls cheek, fingers already bathed in a light green glow.  
But her eyes never left Naruto - following his every mood, as though expecting yet another rebuke.

"Tsunade... shishou..." Sakura gasped, trying to bring air into her lungs, which felt as though they had been crushed despite the fact that the slap had been aimed for her face. Shizune had gently lowered the two of them to the ground, so Sakura was now sitting on the wooden floorboards, being supported by the other medic. She brought her hand up to her cheek slowly, fingers trembling, even as Tsunade's own steady hands reached her jaw and soothed the pain with emerald-coloured chakra.  
She wasn't crying, but Sakura didn't feel like she was in control of herself. She couldn't focus on anything and her eyes were flicking unsteadily from one spot to another; Kakashi's boots, the view outside the window, the frames which lined the walls, the gem on Tsunade's forehead, a small knot in the ground's woodwork, the stacks of paperwork which surrounded the desk -  
"Sakura," Tsunade's stern-yet-compassionate voice broke into her reverie. "Sakura, answer me."  
"Wha?" Sakura choked, forcing herself to focus on the face of her mentor.  
"How do you feel? Did the chakra hurt you anywhere else?"  
Drawing on the long hours of precise chakra-controlling training, Sakura drew in a deep, albeit shaky, breath, and steadied her chakra. The wild spiking leveled out to a slightly trembling level, indicating high levels of stress and anxiousness. Both her own hands and Tsunade's were glowing the same shade of green as they examined her, both her body and her chakra system. Although the worry of the Kyuubi's chakra somehow damaging her body was a very realistic threat, it appeared that she was fine. She repeated this diagnosis to the Hokage, who nodded in agreement.

Sakura had had to learn to instantly calm herself and stay in complete control when dealing with seriously injured patients, especially teammates. Once when she had had to treat Kakashi-sensei on a mission, she had almost lost her mind when she saw how broken he was from a battle. If Sai hadn't been there to insult her into anger, and Naruto to soothe that worry into medical action, she doubted she would have been able to help. Since then, she had perfected the cloak of control, to the point that it was entirely automatic, and completely effective - it took her mind off anything except the current medical situation. This cloak had taken effect as soon as Tsunade had spoken to her, but the crisis was over, so...

Her face steadily turned pale as she slowly turned to face Naruto. The blonde boy hung, obviously unconscious, in Kakashi's arms. A seal had burned into Naruto's stomach, restraining the Kyuubi once more and leaving it up to Naruto's own chakra to heal the burning which had begun to eat away at his skin, and lips in particular. Their silver-headed sensei had his head lowered as he silently observed the boy in his hold.  
As if seeing Sakura turn to look at him, Kakashi glanced up and then lowered his eye again.  
There wasn't any excuse for Naruto's behaviour, and everyone in the room knew it.

"Sakura," he murmured, just to break the silence which was quickly becoming awkward.  
"I'm alright," the girl replied, voice slightly higher than usual but surprisingly well-controlled. "I... think I'll go home..."  
Tsunade immediately shook her head. "You might go into shock; so I can't allow you to spend the next few days alone."  
"I don't need anyone to look after me," Sakura frowned. She tried to stand up again, but Shizune pushed her down firmly, uttering, "Stay down until your heartbeat steadies out, we don't need you fainting on us..."  
"Just spend some time with someone. What about your teammate, Sai?" But the look on Sakura's face was enough for Tsunade to continue hastily; "Or one of your other friends. Ino, perhaps."  
"She's busy. You sent her on a mission, remember? And before you say it, Hinata's on a mission too."  
"I can look after her," Kakashi offered. The indignant, almost horrified look on Sakura's face was mirrored on Tsunade's, but only for a moment before she frowned. "Kakashi, you-"  
"I'm a shinobi, and I'm a part of Sakura's team. I know how she feels. I can understand her pain," Kakashi explained quietly. "You know as well as I do that she would be safe with me, and Sakura knows it too." Tsunade's face was fast becoming unreadable, while Sakura's stubbornness was much easier to read. "It's the most effective, and the most obvious choice, with her friends unavailable," Kakashi finished seriously.  
"You might be right, but, Kakashi..." Tsunde hesitated, but they both knew what her reservation was about.  
"She will be safe. It will only be for a few days, in any case. It's doubtful that anyone will even know that I'm looking after her; they'll put her absence down to a mission, training, or Hospital work."  
"Alright, then," Tsunade acknowledged, only slightly reluctantly.  
"And I don't get a say in this?" Sakura interrupted, face showing annoyance but voice sounding resigned.  
"My place is probably bigger than yours, and I've got an extra sofa-bed for you," Kakashi offered. "You can go home and get your stuff now, and I'll meet you at your apartment in an hour."  
Sakura's face fell. "Alright," she agreed, but despite her apparent reluctance she knew it was the logical choice. As she rose to her feet, she vaguely listened to Tsunade reminding her not to use too much chakra until her body recovered, and to rest so she didn't faint, but she tuned out whatever came after that. She was a medic, she _knew_ how to look after herself! But the older woman was just being considerate, in her own way, and Sakura appreciated it. Smiling wanly at the blonde woman, she replied, "Thanks Tsunade-shishou, but I'll be alright."  
Kakashi just nodded at her again as she crossed the room, but Sakura came to a stop when her eyes fell upon Naruto's unconscious body.  
"Sakura-san, just keep going." Shizune's voice was soft as she gently lead the pink-haired girl from the room and into the hallway, closing the door with a snap behind them. "I'll take you back to your apartment," Shizune decided, not even asking the girl if it would be alright. But by the look of her state, Sakura didn't seem to mind, so Shizune slowly walked them out of the building and towards the medic's apartment, moving no faster than a civilian's pace.

Tsunade stayed silent until she felt the chakra signatures of her two students leave the building. Then, frowning, she turned back to Kakashi and the sprawled-out form of Naruto. Sighing heavily, she spoke more seriously than she had in months. "What do we do about him?" She paced forward, heels clacking against the wooden floor, until she was standing over the blonde. Kneeling by his side, she ran her fingers like feathers along the spirals which made up the Kyuubi's seal. They were displayed brightly against Naruto's tan skin, as though they had been permanently burnt into place.

Kakashi paused for moment. He knew the words that were about to escape his lips would seem illogical. But they were really rather important; they _were_ logical, in an illogical manner. He gently lowered his student into one of the chair Tsunade had placed conveniently in her office - prestigious guests often wanted a seat when talking to the Hokage, after all. With the boy safely out of his hands, he cast a weary look over him. He had fought so hard. Worked himself till to the bone. He was tireless with his training, always enthusiastic with his missions. All for the sake of the one person who would probably never even notice. For the sake of a person who had abandoned them in a search for power - and who had let said power corrupt and mutilate him fully, until the remains of Sasuke Uchiha might as well not be remains at all. The situation at hand was almost at a stalemate. He knew what happened within those dark cells - had always been hovering just nearby, listening, softly softly refiguring the dynamics of the team. And even he coulld see that they were all breaking apart at the seams.  
All for the sake of one person.  
It stung, he realized dully - the emotion a constant, gaping prod. A scar sitting proudly next to his other, older battle wounds - none of which seemed to be affecting him at present. Sasuke needed a lesson in humility. Naruto needed to learn to control himself. Sakura needed to embrace her emotions and finally come to terms with everything. And in the end, he simply needed what was best for all of them. He simply wanted them to be happy again.  
"We can't separate them," he noted dully, almost absent mindedly ruffling Naruto's head. The gesture was stiff, almost robotic - he wasn't really used to huge displays of affection. It had been awhile since he had needed to be anything but mildly amused or serious.  
This was turning into more of tragedy than anything else, and he almost felt as though he had no power to stop it. And he did not like the feeling in the least.  
"Tsunade." He spoke quietly, stepping forward slightly, and raising himself to his full height. "Regardless of what we do, these two will only get worse without him. We can't keep them away from each other, unless you would like to be dealing with the Kyuubi." His tones were soft, but held no less severity. There was a steely cast to his tones. Not like he was ordering her, but telling her stone cold facts. There was little time - Naruto would be awake soon enough anyway.  
"The only feasible solution is to leave them. All three, together. They need to sort things out - Sasuke needs to come to terms with what's going on, and so do the others. I suspect..." He paused for a moment, smoky grey eye falling back on Naruto.  
"I suspect that _they_ are the only ones who could ever fix him."

* * *

**A/N**

Nice long chapter for you all~ In repayment for taking so long to update!

You've probably already worked this out yourself, but Naruto and I are super busy nowadays. We still roleplay, of course, but it takes longer to write chapters C:

On that note, we really would love to know how we've been portraying the characters! In-or-out-of-character? Plot?

Go on, press that 'Review' button! It makes us happy and want to roleplay more~3

~ Sakura


	5. Learning to Try

**CHAPTER V: First Session**

The moonlight always created a different picture every night. Sometimes it was a clear silver plane on the ceiling, speckled only with a few dark spots. Other times the wind created rippling waves along the ceiling as the leaves danced outside. Some nights, like tonight, were close to pitch-black, only the thinnest of silver lines showing the moon.  
Sakura couldn't sleep. She hadn't been able to in days. Ever since she had first seen Sasuke in his cell, tied up, bound, chained, she had had trouble sleeping, and when she dreamed she woke up shaking. Rattling chains, mocking laughter and never-ending footsteps haunted her mind.  
But since that day - just a few days ago, and yet an eternity ago - she hadn't been able to shut her eyes without Sasuke's _sicklywaxydying _face looming up on her.  
The lack of sleep was beginning to show, too. Her eyes were dull, a direct contrast to their usual vivacity, and there were bags marring her otherwise clear skin. Not only the physical signs, but her insomnia was affecting her mind as well. No longer did she laugh freely, or even smile. Her mind was single-tracked, pondering Sasuke, thinking about Sasuke, crying over Sasuke, loving Sasuke, being irritated over Sasuke, letting herself sink into depression over Sasuke.  
But when obsessively thinking about him, there was his personal shadow, the Yang to Sasuke's Yin, the other half of the Uchiha.  
Naruto.  
When obsessively thinking about Sasuke, it was inevitable that Naruto be pulled into her thoughts as well. They were rivals, brothers, yin-yang, enemies, opposites, contrasts. They were Sasuke and Naruto. It was impossible to think of one without the other.  
But if they were the opposite sides of a coin, where did that leave _her_?  
She was the third wheel in their team, and no matter how many times she told herself to stop thinking so pessimistically, that she was a definite part of Team 7, that she was strong and she could and _would_ help, she couldn't stop the shudders that began to run down her spine. Her breaths shortened until she was gasping loudly for air, her blankets choking her and holding her captive _and she couldn't get away she couldn't escape shecouldn'tbreathe-_  
And then Kakashi was there, arms holding her steady as she cried into his chest and he was murmuring soft things, gentle things, calming things into her ear; she couldn't see anything or hear anything but her own personal hell was creeping up on her and there were shadows creeping into her world-  
He was breathing a song into her hair, voice rough but soothing, the melody seeping through Sakura's terror and banishing the shadows. The soft notes calmed her breathing, the steady steps and skips of the music stabilized her heartbeat. She could hear her gasping dying down, and then she was just trembling in his strong arms, squeezing her eyes shut against tears of despair, of uselessness.  
"Here." Kakashi's voice was low. Comforting. His arms slipped under her knees and he cradled her as he sat more comfortably on the sofa, reaching out with one hand to turn on the radio softly. Whispers of music danced through the room, and slowlyslowlyslowly Sakura began to relax, her iron grip around his neck loosening.  
He had always known that Sakura enjoyed listening to music. And he had realised within a day and a half of her staying at his house that it was one of the very few ways that she could be calmed down when she began to shake and gasp.  
He knew what these were symptoms of.  
He had seen all too many people suffering like this. People who had lost something, or _everything_, and wasted away into nothing.  
It would destroy him if Sakura went like that too. She was such a central part of the team, a balanced, bright spark in an otherwise conflicting and violent world. To lose her would be to lose his last hold on sanity.  
_No._  
And so as Sakura clung to him like he was a lifeline, and the strands of a melody wove their magic in the night, Kakashi stared forward, making up his mind there and then that he would not let Sakura lose. He wouldn't let _any_ of his team lose; not Sakura, not Naruto, and not Sasuke. They were his family. They were too important to him. They _had_ to win.  
When Sakura calmed down, when she was resting, or perhaps even _sleeping_, he would talk to Tsunade. Their plan needed to be initiated immediately. It would be too late very soon.  
If it wasn't already.

~x~

Someone else was watching the moonlight that night. Naruto's eyes had swallowed up the night, appearing a deep navy as had never been seen on him before. His lids were raw, his face sporting dark bags.  
How long had it been since he last slept? _Really_ slept, not the horrifying cross between Hell and slumber and frightening awakeness which passed as sleep for him.  
He didn't know.  
Too long, in any case.  
His hand twitched, and the clanking of a heavy chain was the echo. Thick cuffs had been fastened about his wrists, keeping him securely chained to the wall. By now he had sunk down to the ground, his head turned to face out the slit in the stone wall which was the only semblance of a window in his cell. The moonlight illuminated the markings which had been drawn into his face. Chakra sealing characters had been inked onto his forehead, and supporting symbols had been trailed down his cheeks and circling out onto his chest. His eyes told of more represents; the dazed expression betrayed the use of concentrated sedatives.

_Sasuke_.

And with the thought of Sasuke came the thought of Sakura.

_Sakura_.

What he had done to her.

_Burning._

What she had done to Sasuke.

_Saving._

What Sasuke had done to her.

_Embracing._

What had happened to _him._

_Ignoring._

_**It's her fault,**_ Kyuubi's malicious whispers crept into his mind. _**She ruined everything. She ruined your life, she ruined your goal.**_

Naruto moaned slightly, shutting his eyes weakly as he failed to fight off the words.

_**Why should **__**she**__** get him? She, who has always had her family; she, who had friends her whole life; she, who had everything she needed.**_

Naruto was whimpering almost silently now, dragging his hands up to weakly hold his head as if in pain.

_**She took the one thing you wanted. The **__**only**__** thing you wanted, and **__**she took it away**__**.**_

"No..." Naruto choked. "No, no, no, _Sakura-chan_..."

There was a bang as the door opened. Footsteps echoed around the cell, banging drums in his head. Fragments of sentences entered his consciousness; "_Talking... sedatives worn off... reinforcing now..."_

Naruto couldn't make a sound as his arm was roughly stabbed, the painful sensation of the drugs entering his system quickly overpowered by the complete numbness which was spreading from the site of the wound.

"No..." Naruto whispered heavily as his vision swam. He could see the guards leaving the room, and as they did so he cried out with his remaining strength. His arms crumpled and his vision blacked out as he collapsed to the ground again. Around him, the air trembled with the echoes of his last, plaintive wail.

"_Help me... help me... help... me..._"

~x~

Tsunade downed another shot of sake as she glared in the world in general. Kakashi had sent her a message describing Sakura's state, and ever since then her mood had steadily declined. She snapped at anyone and any_thing_, even going so far as to accuse (angrily and while drunk) her paperweight of conspiring against her. She'd just come back to the office to find the windows open to the night... and to the wind, which had danced her papers around the room.

"Shizune!" she growled, and mere moments later the black-haired girl had scampered into the room. "We're sending Naruto and Sakura to Sasuke tomorrow morning. First thing. Understand?"

Shizune nodded quickly, before turning to leave - she had to prepare everything for the plan. "And Shizune."

Shizune cringed before turning back to face her Hokage. "Yes, Tsunade-sama...?"

"Get me some more sake," Tsunade grumbled, dropping the empty bottle to her desk.

~x~

Pale, fingers danced across the edge of his face. Cool, bony fingers, searching.  
He had yet to touch them, and sheer thought had his mind reeling. He had yet to feel what had become of him - what had happened. To feel it would be the stone cold proof, he thought dully.  
And there was little else to occupy him within his cell, anyway.  
Slowly, he let his fingers trace the edge of the bandage - sticky with drying blood. He took a sharp breath as his fingers edge upward across the bandaging, and finally, into the dips. The holes had obviously been sewn together with chakra - for he could feel no lumps from scaring. Simply dips - depressions where the sockets were.  
Swiftly, he tore his hands away - ignore the heaving clanking of the shackles on his wrists.  
They were gone. Truly, truly gone. There was nothing left of them. No chance that his eyes could possibly be fixed - never again to lay his eyes upon the world. Never to see bright splashes of colour, the blue of the sky or the green of the grass.  
Without his sight, he could no longer see an opponent - no longer used what remained of his strength to fight.  
The surge of hope he had felt when finally, _finally_ been allowed to stand had all but dissipated - leaving behind it nothing but an empty void. What was left? Nothing. His life had no purpose - no direction. Self loathing and utter despair crashed together, crushing him beneath their combined weight. He had nothing left.  
The bitter conclusion that he had mulled over so long washed upon him. In its wake, it left nothing - stripping away the anger, the hatred. Stripping away all emotions, feelings. It left simply a body - left someone who had lost the will to live.  
It left a man so completely ruined, that he could simply fight no more - for why fight when there is nothing to fight for?  
Sasuke slumped slowly to the ground - skinny, bony fingers digging harshly against the bare skin of his knees. Crouched in the corner, he let his head fall. Any sense of pride - of anything - drained away. Stored away with what he used to be. Stored away beneath the veil of sembalance, of sanity he imposed upon himself. Stored beneath the wintery insides of what he had become.

The door creaked open, throwing a weak beam of light into the white room. A pair of black ninja boots stepped onto the soft floor, the only thing keeping them upright the graceful balance which came with being an accomplished ninja.  
"Sasuke," Kakashi said neutrally. He quietly closed the door behind him and paced forward, coming to a stop in front of the collapsed form which was his lost student. He considered how to go about breaking the news to the Uchiha and decided just to say it bluntly. Sasuke had always been one for direct approaches, in any case. "In the interest of all concerned, Tsunade-sama and I have agreed upon some actions. Basically, you, Sakura and Naruto will all be put together in this room for ten hours to begin with. You will all be restrained and chakra-repressed. There will be three ANBU squadrons around the cell. Everything you do and say will be monitored."  
Kakashi stopped here. That last point had been bitterly contested with the Village Elders. Tsunade and he himself had wanted their privacy intact, but the Elders refused hotly, claiming that leaving them for ten hours unmonitored was an invitation for violence. Finally, they had reached a compromise - Team 7 would be recorded for the first session, and depending on their behaviour together, further monitoring may be disregarded.  
"You should know," Kakashi continued quietly, speaking just quietly enough that only Sasuke could hear - his voice wouldn't carry to the speakers, "that your teammates, Sakura and Naruto, have never stopped believing in you. They worked themselves to the ground to help you." Fixing the full force of his gaze upon the Uchiha, despite knowing that he couldn't see it, he finished by saying; "Just listen to them for once. Let them help you."  
Not waiting to listen to anything that Sasuke might try to say (if the Uchiha even deigned to speak to him), Kakashi turned and left the room.

Outside, in the hall, Sakura and Naruto were not speaking. They stood awkwardly in the hallway, facing in opposite directions. Black ink marked out the sealing symbols which constrained their chakra. Sakura was white, her eyes dulled from the loss of sleep. Last night, she had only managed to get twenty minutes of sleep before she awoke shaking again. The brief rest had left her feeling even more exhausted.  
Naruto wasn't in any better condition. His skin was scarring from the efforts of the Kyuubi's chakra to be released, only to be held back by the seals. He was looking dazedly at the floor, leaning limply against the wall. His lips occasionally twitched, as if he were speaking to himself, but no one could hear his words.

Kakashi surveyed his two students remorsefully, a dull ache spreading through his body.  
What had happened to their unity? Their close bond, brought all the closer because of their shared pain for Sasuke?  
These two teenagers were the closest thing they had to family, and yet they were all but strangers now.  
"You can go in now," he said, voice optimistically cheerful despite his thoughts.

Within the room, there were but two silences. The silent, pressing silence, mocking the man who crouched in the corner. The mocking silence of the padded walls, barred window, and heavy door. The tight, pressing silence that whispered small lies of freedom and friendship.  
For neither could be found here.  
The second silence was heavy and pressing; cold. It wrapped gently round the man who crouched in the corner - but rather than chill him, it kept him warm. Holding him tightly as a mothers cool embrace. It muffled all sounds, and blotted out most things. But most of all, it was _his_ silence. It was the quiet, pressing silence of a man waiting to die.

Sasuke's face did not change; gave no hint of anything, really. His expression was blank, as was everything that lay beneath - his body's last struggle to remain some semblance of sanity. By sealing away the few memories not tainted by pain, and loss and despair. Because that was all that he seemed to be at the moment - someone who had simply been dragged through those three emotions, over and over again, in some sick, relentless cycle. He even nodded, though in a rather misguided manner - he did not even realize that Kakashi had already turned.  
He had a dull look about his face - cheeks sallow, skin pale. Paler - like snow, trying to case his outsides, and failing miserably. Like a sick, frosted layer that would not peel away. He squatted away in his corner, content to rot - content to simply let madness take him, and do what it will; let it tear him apart, and break him. His tongue darted out for a second - snake-like in its quickness, as he wet his lips. They were dry and cracked, and the bony fingers that clawed at his knees were thin. Pale. They looked easy enough to snap, like little twigs.  
Whatever former strength he had held, it had diminished, leaving a hollow shell behind.  
But sometimes, all a shell needs is to be filled.

Sakura walked in first, stepping carefully on the soft floor to stop herself from falling. Sasuke was close to invisible against the almost blindingly white walls, his bodysuit merging with the colour. His greasy black hair wasn't recognisable as an Uchiha's, but Sakura knew logically that it had to be Sasuke.

She paused in the doorway, eyes dulling even further as she gazed listlessly at him.

So.

Here he was.

The boy she'd been sinking into depression over.

Was it worth it?

She could feel that horrifying, numb, _burning_ sensation roaring through her veins and crawling over her skin.

Did he know that she was here? Barely a few metres from his crouching form? Did he _care_?

Barely a second had passed, and yet already Sakura's mind was whirring with thoughts and pessimism... and yet she could barely think, her thoughts dragging as if in slow-motion. She didn't move, though whether from choice or the simple inability to control her limbs, she didn't know. The temptation to just turn around and walk away, back to the darkness of her covers in Kakashi's apartment, the sweet music which calmed her... the temptation was almost too much to bear.

_Help... Sasuke..._

It was still her goal in life.

So, Sakura clenched her hands together, bringing them up protectively to her chest. She took a trembling step forward.

_Help Sasuke._

Another step forward. She was close enough to see Sasuke's thin wrists now. Close enough to hear his ragged breathing.

_Sasuke._

_Sasuke._

Two more steps. She could touch him now if she wanted.

She didn't want to.

Naruto was almost worse than his female teammate. He took only one step into the room before turning on his head and facing back into the hallway. Kakashi was there to watch him in a cross between frustration and understanding, but the look was enough for Naruto to remember that the reason for his entire life was in the room. And that he had been so hugely chakra-repressed because of this opportunity.

So he turned back to Sasuke's cell and trudged in.

Sakura was already there, standing just by Sasuke's side. As he watched, she slowly sank to her knees, and then slumped against the wall less than a metre from the Uchiha.

Someone in the deep, barred-off recesses of his mind, Naruto heard a low growl, and shook his head weakly.

_It's... Sakura... she deserves this, she saved him..._

So he remained standing in the doorway as Kakashi closed and locked it from outside. Just the three of them remained now. Although under usual circumstances, he would be the first to speak (make that loudly demand answers), Naruto couldn't bring himself to open his mouth.

He didn't deserve it.

So he waited for one of the others to break the silence.

The silence in the room was broken by the shuffling of feet. The scuffling noise broke the man from his silence, and he looked up sharply - as though raking over the visitors with sharp eyes. But he remained where he was - crouched in the corner like a frightened animal. Too scared to move, but for the bare shaking of his feeble, bony fingers. He sat still, and ramrod straight - sensing the new arrivals. He licked his parched lips, breifly. Slowly. Thoughtfully.  
The shards of _his_ silence lay about him, scattered and broken - leaving but the mocking silence of the padded walls. The hushed breathing of his two guests.  
He heard the brittle creak as the door was closed - slowly, he supposed, so as not to startle him. He was a fragile creature now - poised between flight and fight constantly. On the brink of insanity.  
Driven to his peak by cold, silent mockery. How it **haunted** him.  
"Hello," he murmured softly. His words a small, harsh whisper - though not unkind. Simply emotionless. Quiet.

Broken.

"Hi," Sakura replied instinctively, before double-taking and realising that _Sasuke had just said __**Hello**__._ She refrained from asking, _"Are you feeling alright, Sasuke-kun?" _and settled for staring at in him in what felt incredibly like curiosity. It had been a long time since she'd last felt a proper emotion.

Despite the complete out-of-character action, though, it certainly helped to steady Sakura. A touch of reality entered into what up until now, for her, had been a dream-like fantasy. And, feeling brave, she turned to face where Naruto was standing in the entrance. "N- Naruto, come sit here," she invited, motioning to Sasuke's other side.

Naruto could see the pure, raw hope and bravery struggling in Sakura's eyes. Deep down, under the layers of sedatives and self-despair, he felt something lift up in cautious hope. _Sakura was speaking to him_. And, even more to the point, _Sasuke_ was speaking, even if it had only been one word to Sakura so far.

But it was more than what he could describe to himself, in regards to the spoken words of his teammates. Seeing Sakura speak again was to see her forgiving him. Those untouched emotions raging in her eyes were the first he had seen in far too long.

And he realised what he had always known.

His world had and would always revolve around these two people; his family and his team.

Sasuke had been his rivalling teammate, his reliable brother, his reluctantly-helpful training partner, his pillar of strength. His infuriating "Hn"s and smirks spiced up every day. His taunts brought out Naruto's emotions into high definition. He made Naruto _live_.

Sakura had been his caring friend, his obnoxious older sister, his disregarding medic, his reason to laugh. Her words made Naruto grin, her anger made him cringe. She assisted him whether he thought he needed it or not; and most of the time he _did_. She helped Naruto survive.

And they were already weaving their power, compelling him to live, to survive.

He walked forwards as if through a daze, which could partially be put down to the sedatives which made everything feel dream-like. But he knew that it was also because he was finally walking forward again. His mad sprint to find Sasuke had lasted him the past few years, but he'd stumbled and fallen. The past few months, he hadn't been moving at all. He'd been stuck in the past, trying to get to his feet again.

And now he was up again, and he could take the next step forward.

For the first time in months, there was a lightening in Naruto's face. Not a smile, really, more of a softening of the muscles around his eyes. The tension in his stance was gone as well. He looked calm, for the first time since they'd come across Sasuke's body in the ruined Uchiha estate all those months ago.

It was just one step, and yet it took him forward, out of the past and out of his despair.

And it was as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes. He could see how he'd been acting, and how nothing was as he'd seen it before. Although he had refused to accept the Kyuubi's whispers before, now he _knew_ they were lies. Sakura wasn't the devil; but neither was she the only one who deserved to speak to Sasuke. And so he also entered into the greetings, much more subdued than what was usually expected of him... but also more mature. Much more 'grown-up'. More understanding.

"Hey Sasuke," he murmured as he took his place next to his brother.

Sasuke's head tilted to one side at the sound of his name - like he was thinking.  
He didn't really feel like Sasuke anymore.  
Sasuke was proud, and bold, and arrogant. Sasuke had a goal. Sasuke had a reason to live, a meaning, a purpose.  
Sasuke didn't have to deal with the mockery of the walls, or any of his emotions. Because Sasuke ran away from them, and poured all he had into his purpose.

But _he_ didn't have a purpose.  
A goal.  
He had nothing left but a bare and barren existence, wasted alone in silence and exile.  
Emotions seemed to be the one thing left to turn to - and even then, few remained.  
Inside him was just a dull, quiet ache, and he wasn't quite certain what it meant anymore.  
Mouth shut securely, he reached out tentative, shaking fingers; they twitched a little from the effort, as he concentrated, brow furrowing. He followed the sound of the last voice, before his fingers hit something smooth. Soft.  
Skin.  
He realized briefly that his fingertips hovered over the person's nose; he gingerly let the dance across the person's cheek. His touch was feather light - not intrusive, but inquisitive.  
Muted. Like everything else.  
The rough pads of his fingers fell against slight dips - scars down cheeks. Like small little rivulates across Naruto's face. He had always been curious as to what they felt like.  
And gently, he pulled back, head still tilted to one side, brow furrowed. His fingers felt out, but it was not the same. You couldn't peice together a face from fingertips.  
His hands fell back. Curling once more, protectively about thin knees. The dull ache darkened slightly, almost like a pang. Though of what, he could not tell.  
He licked his lips again, thoughtfully, before scooting back slightly, spine flush against the padded walls. He disliked the closeness of them - they were all but strangers now.  
But even strangers had names, and memories attached to them.  
Naruto. Sakura.  
He had long forgotten what exactly they meant to him. Long ago, he had buried their meanings, and any thoughts attached to them. But he supposed that digging it up wouldn't be too difficult.  
It would just take time.

Sakura felt a slight pang as Sasuke trailed his fingers down Naruto's face, tracing the scars marring his cheeks with an almost inquisitive air. Sasuke was acting so docile; the girl wondered distantly if he had been drugged to avoid an overly violent meeting. But despite the automatic recoil at the thought of her Sasuke-kun _drugged_ like a common criminal, she knew logically that it was the correct choice. They were here to talk, after all.

But the total lack of recognition that _she_ was here as well brought her face crashing back down. Her gaze flicked away and her head dropped slightly.

Naruto didn't notice any of this, though, gazing at Sasuke as his face registered slight interest and then total withdrawal.

He struggled to think of words to portray his feelings. Even under the best of circumstances, he'd never been great at talking to Sasuke, and now with their situations; both of them drugged and constrained, both isolated from everything and everyone. But he needed to speak, so he opened his mouth in the hope that something worthwhile would come out.

"How are you?" was what his traitorous lips sounded out. Vivid memories of what had happened last time entered his mind; the steady talk about a terrifying topic; the challenge and the furious, despairing retreat.

Sasuke twitched at such a question. What kind of response did one usually give? It had been so long since his last civilized, not business oriented conversation. With his other team, he had never had to give a response. They had never attempted to have casual conversations - they had known there place, and he had made sure to keep it that way.  
Naruto was different. Somewhere, deep down, he knew Naruto was still somewhat vaguely important.  
If he wasn't, he'd be dead by now.  
But still. Memories still haunted him. The most pungent being the fact hat he was still _blind_. So no, he was not feeling particularly brilliant.

But there company was somewhat.. nice. Maybe even soothing. He wasn't quite sure anymore.  
"Fine," was his short, one breath response before he recoiled a little more, unsure of how to react anymore. He didn't know what they wanted of him - without the wall he had imposed on himself, the wall that clamped down on emotions and such... Without it, he would break. He could still feeling the anger, and hurt and betrayal that bubbled and brewed beneath the surface. The indignant rage, and self hatred that still gnawed at its confines.  
But he was tired now. Tired of those raged, bare emotions. He was too tired to respond to them, to fuel them any longer.

He had lost his goal, and with nothing in sight, he had lost himself along with it.

"How about you, Naruto?" Sakura asked, just working to make sure the conversation didn't already die. She leaned forward a bit to grin at the blonde in a combination of caution and encouragement. He was still sitting and staring at Sasuke as if seeing him for the first time; and in a way, Sakura supposed, he was. This was the new Sasuke, after all. He looked tired; as if worn out by life. It was sad when it was one's _life_ which wore them out. Instead of bringing vitality and adventure to each day, it sapped the colour out of everything and made everything dark and cold.  
Sakura knew the feeling only all too well. And she refused to let... _it_... rear it's dark head during these ten hours.  
They were going to be, quite possibly, the most important ten hours of her life.

It took a good few seconds for Naruto to realise that Sakura had spoken to him. Seeing her optimistic smile, he grimaced back at her before returning his gaze to watch the Uchiha's every move.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he murmured in reply. But his mind was firmly fixed upon the teenager before him.

Sasuke - and him, and Sakura - they were all just teenagers. Fifteen or sixteen years old.

And yet, they could barely be termed 'children'... they had been too emotionally scarred, pushed too far into the anxiousness and terror which had become their life.

And Sasuke had been pushed the furthest. Clan slaughtered, betrayed by his brother, losing his entire life to a hopeless ambition...

No. Sasuke could not be called a 'teenager'.

"We've been through a lot, haven't we..." Naruto reflected under his breath. The words had made themselves heard unconsciously; they had just been Naruto's thoughts.

Sasuke flinched at those words. He could feel a little ripple in that nicely constructed wall inside him. Beneath, the roiling, ragged, _barebrokenhaunting_ emotions clawed to be freed. They wanted to yell and scream at Naruto. Tell him that he had seen nothing - _nothing - _compared to what he had seen. How he had not lost his eyes to his brother, had not seen his entire family murdered. Had not risked everything by training under a delusional madman, who's mind was bent solely on training him so he could use him as a body. His fists tightened about bony knees, brows furrowed, as he let those emotions simmer down once more. What did it matter if Naruto had just made what could possibly considered the understatement of the century? He could not risk letting his emotions be his downfall. It had taken a long, painstaking amount of time to keep them under control, and he would make sure they stayed that way.

For a brief moment, he pondered something. He thought it a rather valid questions. To him, there incessant dependence on him didn't quite make sense.  
He took a small, hasty breath, before asking, swiftly and quietly; " Why do you two always chase me?" He paused, licking chapped lips, and clutching his knees a little tighter.

Naruto was instantly at a loss for words. How could he convey to Sasuke the reason? The other boy had never understood concepts like family, or even friends... and he doubted Sasuke would understand anything more than that.

"Because..." He hesitated. "you're impo- you're a ba-" _You're my precious person,_ is what he wanted to say, but he couldn't. Not with Sakura sitting right there, gazing at Sasuke so hopefully. He sighed. "Because you're my brother," he finished quietly, but he knew it wasn't just that. Sasuke was everything to him; his life, his mission, his everything.

"You're Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered then. It was as if Naruto had disappeared. She was talking to Sasuke and Sasuke alone, eyes following his every move. "Sasuke-kun, I kept on following you because I -" she pulled back from finishing and shook her head silently. He couldn't understand. He never would know what she felt.

"Because you're our teammate," she finished. "You're part of our family!" Then she tore her gaze away to look at Naruto. "Naruto and I are your family now, Sasuke-kun! Of course we'll chase you."

Sasuke snorted, head instantly turning away, as though their words were a sharp slap across the face.  
"I've never had much luck with brothers, or families," He spat, words cold. They carried a barely hidden hint of hurt, and anger too - hinting at things that lurked beneath the surface of his calm demeanour. He was swiftly growing weary of them - pining there emotions and titles upon him, acting as if he should reciprocate their care.  
He didn't. He had been fine without them, fine without anyone. He had never, _never_ needed anyone to look after him.  
And he didn't want anyone, either.  
Long, bony fingers moved from being curled about his knees - clutching weakly at the walls, as he attempted to steady himself - ready to stand, t move away.  
He wished to escape them - because he didn't need anyone.  
It was just getting harder and harder to convince himself.

"Let us be a second chance! You... you never even let us try!" Sakura said quickly, watching as Sasuke tried to get up. His balance was still useless, a far cry from when Sasuke used to dart silently, graceful as a cat, amongst the Konoha forests. The sudden though, although unprompted, caused her expression to collapse again.

Sasuke was gone, Sasuke was gone...

"Sasuke-kun, please wait-!" she murmured, rising to her knees. She didn't know what to do; her want to stop him from moving, to wrap her arms around him, was battling with the knowledge that to do so would be useless, and if Sasuke pushed her away again...

And then Naruto was there as well, hesitantly resting his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. "Teme, don't move..." Naruto said, voice subdued. "Just... stay here." A quick glance at him revealed to Sakura that Naruto seemed just as uncomfortable as she was, as if he didn't know whether he could touch Sasuke. But for the moment it seemed as if he'd decided for it; his palms pressed down gently to stop Sasuke rising and left them there to make sure he didn't move.

Sasuke hissed like a spitting cat, wrenching away as though he had been burnt. He only managed to thrust his weak body against the wall - and there was what was left of his strength gone. He slid slowly down the padded walls, crumpling up again once he hit the floor. His mouth was pulled back into a fearsome scowl, brows furrowed. He was so weak. Too weak.  
His slow little grip on what little sanity he had left was slipping, and the anger was boiling up again. Didn't they understand that he was useless now? Did they not get that he could do nothing? He was weak and useless, had failed his purpose, and been dragged back to Konoha as a battered a bloodied corpse. He had lost his strongest weapon, and let his strong fighting form melt away and degenerate into nothing more than a pile of rickety bones, held together by a thinly stretched veil of flesh.  
And the only thing he had left were the memories, and it was like a _nightmare that he just __**couldn't**__ wake up from._  
And they just never **understood**. They never had, and never would. No matter how much he had told them to leave him alone, no matter how much he had rejected there advances, no matter how many times he had only one thing left to live for, they had kept at him. Stubbornly trailing at his heels like a pair of stray dogs, with nothing better to do.  
Bony fingers reached up to cradle hollow cheek bones, raking through matted, oily hair. His fingers trailed over the rough material of the bandage that covered what was left of his eyes, and a crooked, crazy smirk spread across his face.

"You just don't get it, do you?" He quipped viciously, fingers digging at his scalp, at his temples. Leaving red scratch marks in there wake.  
"You never got it. You _mean nothing_, to me. You never have. All this time, you thought you mattered, right?" He chuckled in the most condescending matter he could muster. His voice was still hoarse and cracked, and rasping. It was crazy and broken, just like he was. And here they were trying to fix him with_ nice_ _words _and_ family_. He chuckled at such delusions, and it made his throat all the dryer.

It would take much more than such weak illusions to fix Sasuke Uchiha. Infact, he was quite certain it couldn't be done.  
Neither of these two had it in them - and he had never tricked himself into believing otherwise.  
They would be just like everyone else - they would give up, and finally, _finally_ leave him alone, just like _every other_ family he had ever had.

"You don't want to be here really. You're just here out of duty," He continued in his self induced reasoning tones. " You just want what everybody else wanted," He purred. But no. He would not give up the last little bit of himself he still held. He refused to give up the few shreds that remained of him.  
Whether or not he was still _Sasuke Uchiha_ he didn't know. All he knew was that they had never been enough. Never would be.  
They would never be able to fill in the gap his revenge had failed to fill. Because nothing could.  
And nothing was all that was left.

Sakura's hands were immediately at Sasuke's, pulling them gently away from his face and touching her fingertips to the scratches which burnt red against his white temples. Faint green, severely repressed due to her chakra restraints but controlled enough to be used, lit up Sasuke's face and began healing the bloodflow.

"We're not here out of duty," she said dejectedly, concentrating on her chakra. "We _want_ to be here." But she knew that Sasuke wouldn't listen to her words, no matter how much _his_ echoed in her mind and warped her thoughts. She had truly never meant _anything_ to him. One of the most wonderful, brilliant, genius people she had ever met, and he didn't think she was anything.

And despite having known it for a long, long time; before they had their reunion, before they split up - even before being assigned to Team 7... Despite having known for so long that Sasuke simply did not care, the repetition hurt.

She opened her mouth again, but there was nothing left to say.

"You're wrong," Naruto said quietly. He let his hands fall from Sasuke's shoulders and clenched them tightly. "You're wrong; you've been wrong your whole life. You keep telling yourself we're not important, we're hypocrites who will give up, that we don't care... but we do.

"I know it matters that you were so badly betrayed by your brother. I know how much it _hurts_ to be alone... I was there too, once. Remember? But I listened to other people when they told me they cared. Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan... you." Naruto paused for a moment, shaking his head, and Sakura wondered in a sharp burst of clarity what this was like for Naruto. To see your brother, rival, best friend, so similar to you but so different, and to know that it was too late to change what he wanted to.

"All that stuff matters, but it's in the past! There's a reason why I'm still smiling, bastard, and why I still want to protect the Village which shunned me. I moved on. I accepted what had happened and I made a new path. _Try_." Naruto stopped talking again to stare at his fists. "Just try, Teme. And beat me, just like you always do. Move on and just _try_ to accept us..."

Sasuke had to pause mid-tirade, fingers twitching a they were pulled gently from his face. That was just it though. He could never let go of the past. It haunted him at every turn, and scorned and spat right in his face. It had been almost like an old friend; his pain and loneliest his most devoted companion.  
And slowly, a little understanding did dawn.  
He had nothing left now. Nothing left but his past.  
And what could possibly be a future.  
If he let them. If he leave what little remained of his life, and embrace what was still there.  
Maybe. Maybe they could ... help. He hated the word already. Hated how it implied how weak he was. How useless. He had always been so self-sufficient. If he had ever wanted anything, he had trained himself to get it. Pushed his body to its limits, and strained himself to get where he wanted. But now....

Now they expected him to trust. To rely on them.  
"B-but," he managed to whisper out, voice sore as though he had been screaming. He felt like he had. Somehow, he wished he had. He had always thought no one understood. Naruto didn't get it either.  
But he had _tried._  
And now he requested the same.  
He had_ challenged_ him to try. To try and understand. To make things work again.  
Maybe.. just maybe they wouldn't leave. They wouldn't abandon him like the rest of the world had, and for once, he would have somewhere to turn.  
He shuddered, and felt a small sob escape his throat. He frowned at himself. But it would not stop, and another dry, ragged sob escaped his throat. The anger had all but died now - burnt out into little embers, as he felt his thin frame shake and shiver. Hear bones click together as he slowly allowed himself to revell in another touch. To let the warmth from Naruto's fingers finally sink in, and settle in his bones.  
Maybe he would never be fixed. But they would patch him up as best they could.  
Not out of duty.  
Not out of pity.  
But because they were...  
"Family," he managed to choke out the word, letting it feel tight in his throat.  
"Maybe... that could work."

Sakura let out a few breathless, disbelieving giggles before burying her hands in her face. Everything she'd tired, and all it had taken was for Naruto to say a few sentences and challenge him. It wasn't fair; in fact it was hideously _un_fair, but at least now Sasuke was accepting, and talking; actually _hoping... _Maybe she would be able to do something now that Sasuke would try...

Meanwhile, Naruto's face pulled into a tired, triumphant grin. Not knowing what to say, but needing something to do to release his pent-up feelings, he leant forward and threw his arms about the pale boy, mentally warning himself not too be too rough, but unable to lessen his iron-grip around the boy. "Teme," he breathed, just wanting to reassure himself that it _was_ his bastard. He may have changed, he might not be Sasuke anymore, but he was still his Teme.

~x~

A few hours later, there was silence in the room, at last. The white walls and light dimmed as time crept on. In one corner of the room, three figures lay curled and relaxed.

Sakura was breathing softly, finally sleeping deeply. She lay on her side, facing away from the two boys. Naruto, on the other hand, lay right by Sasuke's side. His clasped hands were lined with the black strands of Sasuke's hair. There was a slight smile tugging at his lips, but other than that his expression was blank; relaxed.

He shifted in his sleep, a frown marring his features, before relaxing again. He inched closer to Sasuke's back, subconciously eager for his (admittedly faint) body heat.

Sasuke sighed, and long bony fingers circled round his wrists again. The skin was no longer rough and sore from chains - something Sakura must have healed beforehand.  
The other two had simply to decided to curl up and sleep - too tired to move, and not trusting him enough to leave him by himself, he supposed. He still wasn't quite sure that he was ready for this whole.. 'family' concept. The word brought bitter memories flooding back at him, and he fought them off - like he always did. Images still bit at his mind - bodies, blood, _redredred __**everywhere. **_Finally bright crimson eyes - Sharingan.  
Thoughts ate away at him, and he gave a little muffled noise - he wasn't sure what it was, something between a muffled sob and a growl. It staved off sleep;He had long ago learnt to forgo the need for sleep, anyway. He got a few little naps every now and then, but at that moment, the very sound of breathing other than his own had him on edge. It had been so long since he had had company.  
No wonder his nerves were highly strung.  
He could feel heat coming closer towards him, and flipped himself upright instantly.  
It took him a few seconds to register that no, it was not someone attempting to assassinate him, because otherwise he would have been dead already. Furtively, he reached out - his fingers skimming over material, and warmth. He recoiled as though he had been burnt - but he already recognized the other body.  
Naruto.  
He could tell because no one else quite reeked of _that much _miso. That brought a quirk to his lips. He still remembered that, after all this time. A slight shrug of his shoulders and the amusement wore off. He supposed some warmth could be nice, anyway.  
Something warm to keep away the cold chill of the darkness. That brough another twitch to his lips, as he settled himself a little. He had always been so assured that he darkness was good. That being engulfed in it would make him immune to emotions, and powerfull beyond all belief.  
Well, now he was completely surrounded by the dark - weaker than ever, and brought to the pathetic action of edging toward someone else for some simple heat.  
But for once, he did not scorn himself for patheticness.  
He settled down in the darkness, and let his hand feel out blindly, before curling gently about Naruto's shoulder. With a soft smile (that he would never admit to have ever worn) he edged in a little closer.  
He left his hand on his... friend's shoulder.


	6. Road to Recovery

**CHAPTER VI - Road to Recovery**

Despite the obvious lack of animosity in the room, there wasn't any speaking. Only the hissing of the speakers and the occasional yawn broke the silence.

Kakashi's small smile was hidden by the mask obscuring his features. Leaning back into his chair comfortably and resting his uncovered eye, the jounin considered to himself that in the end everything had worked out. Putting his three students into close proximity for ten hours had been a huge risk which Tsunade and himself had had so much difficultly in justifying to the Elders...

_And it had worked_.

Kakashi was still relaxing in the knowledge that things were finally beginning to look up - Sakura was _sleeping_, for heaven's sake, and Naruto seemed to be coping with Sasuke well... and the change in Sasuke himself was stunning; Sasuke had actually accepted them as family! - when an ANBU flickered into appearance behind him.

"Elder-sama and Elder-sama request your immediate presence," he said in monotone, "as the promised ten hours have elapsed."

Kakashi chuckled to himself; a tired, yet triumphant sound. "Yes." By the time Kakashi had risen to his feet, glancing at the few chuunins who had been assigned to work with him, the ANBU had left.

Kakashi was looking forward to seeing all three of his students released from their various states captivity. The next step would be to have them together for a day, and outside of the prison...

~x~

In the white room, the silence was about to be broken. Sakura's deep breathing continued, her body unwilling to wake from her first proper, refreshing sleep in months, but there was movement where the other two bodies lay closely together.

Naruto yawned widely as his eyes flickered open, squinting into the brightness. Confusion clouded his features as he contemplated the creases in the white-grey fabric before him, but then he sat up hastily with a choked gasp. His eyes were wide as he drank in Sasuke's form, and, more importantly, _how Sasuke's hand was on his shoulder_.

"Te- Sa... suke..." Naruto breathed in amazement. _So it wasn't a dream, or a hallucination..._

Then a tired, ecstatic grin spread across his face. "Teme! How are you?"

Once again, it was the same inane question, but for the first time Naruto hoped that Sasuke would reply honestly.

Maybe even positively.

Maybe...

Sasukke twitched back again, expression slack. He would have blinked sleepily, but instead, twitching his fingers a little, missing the sensation of rubbing ones eyes to clear them of sleep.  
The sudden noise had startled him, and instantly kicked in his rather potent ninja instincts - and it was only Naruto's voice that saved him from being knocked unconscious. (At least, that was what Sasuke liked to think,) A smirk did not quirk his lips, but the Uchiha managed to look indignantly ruffled, which he assumed was probably the correct reaction for such an occasion.  
"Idiot," He growled, and rolled over - and only when he was facing away from the blonde did he let himself smirk a little.  
He had forgotten how much fun teasing Naruto could be - it was so simple, just to stir that idiot into some sort of silly anger.  
Being on the receiving end of his _real _ anger was a scary sight, to say the least. Not that Naruto scared him - he could still defeat the loser hands down.  
Even if he was blind.  
The thought twinged a rather raw nerve, and he withdrew a little - the humour of the situation seeping away.  
He was still trapped here. Still trapped by Konoha, and still trapped by his own weakness. He gave a little hiss of breath, and pulled himself up a bit straighter - pushing such thoughts to the back of his mind.

"I'm..." he grouched something incomprehensible, and pushed himself back upright. He really hated the way that even _Naruto_ was slightly intimidating when one couldn't see him.

"Brilliant," he decided to grouse out, furtively attempting to locate the idiot, and any sense of direction he had previously had.

"I'm sure you are, bastard-face!" Naruto grinned widely, eyes squinted to make way for his cheekbones - but then his smile drooped, and he didn't bother to try and hide the despair still on his features. It wasn't like Sasuke could see it anyways - because if the Uchiha could see the devastation and _pity_ Naruto felt... he knew it wouldn't be a good response.

Shoving the thoughts to the side for the moment - _what would they do now? What would - or__** could**__ - Sasuke do now, anyways?_ - and pulling the remnants of the smile back onto his face, Naruto turned to face where Sakura still lay on her side, facing away from the two of them.

She looked so small, curled up like that. Naruto knew (from experience, no less), what a fearsome kunoichi she was, but now Naruto could barely think of her as more than a child; a young teenager with a pleasant life...

But of course that was impossible. She was a ninja, and more importantly, a member of Team 7.

Naruto turned back to Sasuke. In the past, before his world had collapsed around him, Naruto had had no trouble at all making conversation with Sasuke. Or at least, saying something to which the bastard would reply. But now there were so many things which were forbidden topics... things which Naruto knew would make Sasuke take back his promise to _try_ and leave him secluded in his own, cold world. The future, any ninja issues, Team 7, Itachi, _Sasuke_...

There wasn't an awful lot that he _could_ talk about...

"You hungry, teme?" he finally asked, deeming it a safe question.

~x~

"Elder-sama, and Elder-sama," Kakashi said in greeting as he bowed his head. Inside the dimly-lit, cluttered room which passed as the Elder's Office, the two shinobi glanced up.

"Come in, Hatake-san," one of them ground out, voice rasping.

"My apologies, Koharu-sama," Kakashi replied formally, straightening up. "I must return to my work quickly. I presume you summoned me for a report on Sasuke's situation?"

"Yes," Homura replied, his voice as gravelly as his companions. "Tell us the situation with the traitor."

"_Uchiha Sasuke_," Kakashi emphasized, voice growing cold, "and his two Genin teammates Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, have handled this trial very successfully. Sasuke has agreed to relax his guard and work with the ANBU to obtain more information. Sakura and Naruto have both relaxed immensely. This trial will definitely have a positive impact on their shinobi performance." He was taking creative license with Sasuke's promise to try, but he had to make it sound his way for the Elders to agree to his next request -

"Hokage-sama and I believe that more could be accomplished in different settings; perhaps the meeting could be transferred to a secure apartment? In the very least, they need a kitchen to eat, and space to relax."

Kakashi honestly thought that there was very little chance of the Elders agreeing - they were stuck in the old belief that a traitor should be given capital punishment - but then again, the Elders were very good at surprising people.

Maybe they would see logic for once.

~x~

Sasuke gave a grunt of a response, pondering the question. He had not felt hungry for a long, long time. And the last hunger he ever vividly remembered was a horrible, unquenchable thirst for revenge.  
But he decided against mentioning that, as the very thought brought a sickly sense to him, and the vile taste of bile at the back of his throat. He shuddered, and shook his vehemently, before letting his fingers wander with mild curiosity. He decided he didn't like speaking that much, anyway, and Naruto would just have to live with it. He had never been very talkative, anyway.  
His blunted nails brushed against something soft, and he recognized the feeling as skin – he retracted his hand, glad that he had located his other team-mate, but rather unsure just which part of her anatomy it was he had located.  
It was better not seeing, he decided, before recoiling again, and letting thin fingers wrap around him in some sort of defensive self-hug.  
So after it all, he had let himself be beaten by this idiot. That stung a bit. It was strange, just letting go of everything. Letting go of his past, and his hatred, and the burning, agonizing, _searing_ rage that had boiled at the back of his mind for so long.  
He almost felt light weight from the lack of burdens.  
Without realizing it, his dry mouth whispered something soft, and barely audible – something he had heard his old sensei utter a very long time ago;

"Thats the thing with revenge. Even if you get it, it doesn't bring anyone back."  
He paused for a minute, startled he had let anything slip – surprised to hear his own voice sound so small, and rasping. But most of all, he was surprised he was repeating something that he used to stand against – something he fought against with every fibre of his being.  
And it felt so... wonderful.

"What did you say?" Naruto asked curiously, bending down to hear what the Uchiha was whispering. But the other teenager didn't seem to be willing to repeat it, so Naruto rocked back on his heels to just look at him again. "Anyways. Next time I'll bring in some food. Ramen!" But then he reconsidered. "Oh yeah, you were weird and didn't like the Food Of The Gods, right Teme?"

_Food of the Gods...? What's Naruto going on about now_? Sakura wondered bearily as she started to awake from her slumber. Her entire body felt like a bruise, despite having slept in much worse conditions. She forced her eyes open, cringing at the bright light which pierced her corneas. As the room began to fade into focus, she frowned slightly, still waiting for the rush of memories which would explain to her just _why_ she was in this room. She'd never seen one in her life before.

"Righto, I'll be able to have the Wonder Of Ramen to myself!" Naruto cheered, his voice sounding almost genuine in its carelessness. "I'll get you riceballs, Teme," he continued.

_Sasuke_! That's right -!

Ignoring the way her arms screamed at her to _stop moving_, Sakura pushed herself upright and gazed at Sasuke in wonder.

She didn't think she'd ever forget how she felt as everything came rushing back - up to and including Sasuke's promise.

"Ah! Sakura-chan, what do _you_ want to bring?" Naruto asked, smiling at her enthusiastically.

"U-uh... what?"

"For next time! I'm having The Food Of The Gods, and I'll bring the bastard some riceballs since he's weird and doesn't like ramen - what about you?"

"Oh... um... I dunno." Seeing Naruto's face, she quickly added; "I'll make... a curry." That was easy enough to do. "And Sasuke-kun likes tomatoes, so I'll make him a tomato dish... How does that sound, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke snorted, and rolled his shoulders experimentally. His whole body felt stiff and weak. He sighed rather audibly, automatically tuning out Naruto's rambling. He was used to tuning things out. He had never listened to the members of team Taka - why start listening to anyone now?  
"When do we get out?" He rasped, flicking his head up in the direction of Naruto and Sakura this time, realizing she had woken too. An uncomfortable itch ran down his spine as he tried to ignore the way he felt cornered.  
She remembered he liked tomatoes? He frowned a little, and tilted his head to one side. He was used to simply eating whatever was brought to him, or when he was forced too. He had long forgotten having a 'favourite food', when everything tasted bland and the same anyway.  
"I'd... like that," he decided to mutter as well, long fingers raking at the ground almost nervously.

Sakura and Naruto paused from watching for Sasuke's response to glance at each other. "Uh..." Sakura began uncertainly - when _did_ they get out? - but before she had to admit to Sasuke that she actually didn't know, another voice replied to the question.

"In three days time," Kakashi said casually as he closed the door behind him. "Provided, of course, that you continue as you have been, Sasuke."

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, confused, just as Naruto beamed at the silver-haired jounin.

"Three days! Bastard, did you hear that?" Naruto exclaimed in triumph, spinning back to face Sasuke. He threw his arms around him impulsively, but barely a second had passed before his brain caught up to the movement (_GAHTHISISSASUKEGETOFFHIMALREADYYYY-_) and he sprung back. Sakura hadn't seen what had happened though, and she sprang up, staggering slightly as she hurried across the room to where Kakashi was leaning nonchalantly against a wall.

"Kakashi-sensei, what happened?" Sakura asked when she was close enough to him to lower her voice. For some reason she had a feeling that the boys (in particular Sasuke) wouldn't want to hear the answer. "Why is Sasuke-kun getting out so quickly?" She was over the moon, ecstatic that finallyfinallyfinally they could get out, but - why?

"Hokage-sama and I convinced the Elders that the best way to get Sasuke to relax was to take him out of confinement. Your next meeting is scheduled in three days' time, and you'll be meeting in a secure apartment near the Hokage tower... you know that there will be ANBU, chakra restrictions, the lot -"

"But we'll be out of _here_," Sakura breathed in wonder. "Kakashi-sensei, _thank you_-" Her smile lit up her face as she spun back around and hurried towards her team again.

But as soon as her back was turned, Kakashi's pleased expression fell away like a mask and the pain on his face could easily be read.  
It hadn't really been that easy, of course... The Elders had refused to listen to anything he had told them. Tsunade had been summoned, and she had taken Kakashi's side. Still, the Elders had flat-out refused to allow Sasuke out of confinement. Finally, Tsunade had had to compromise - she would allow Sasuke to be questioned again by two ANBU members. Sasuke was allowed to choose who to have with him. He was to have chakra repressents inked onto his skin again, but he wouldn't have any physical restraints.  
And in return for making this compromise, Tsunade had secured Sasuke's temporary freedom.

Shaking his head slightly, Kakashi brought his focus back to the present, and watched as Sakura reached her teammates to join in the general happiness.

"Three days!" Sakura sang excitedly, clasping her hands to her chest as she dropped to her knees by Sasuke's side.

Sasuke let a small smirk flit across his features at the prospect of tasting fresh air. His limbs practically sang at the thought of being used again, and he felt a little shudder of excitement run through him. It felt good.  
He felt _alive_ for the first time in a long time.  
And that was no small achievement.  
He let himself simply be absorbed by the happy aura radiating from the other two, face downcast as he put on a face of political blankness. These two had reacted well too, he thought softly to himself. He was not the only one who was slowly healing over - and such a prospect was one to be relished.

~x~

Those three days were the most conflicting days Sakura had ever experienced - dragging by as if every second was hauling a seven-tonne block of cement with it as it passed, but flying past in a whirlwind of colour and laughter and excitement.  
When she woke up on the third day, cheeks already flushed pink in excitement, she wondered what she'd done in the past three days. It felt like she'd done nothing, just going with the flow of life around her- but she'd _done_ so much regardless!  
And _today was the day_!

Singing to herself, Sakura leapt out of bed and hurried into the kitchen, examining the pot of curry she had left bubbling overnight. Breathing in the tempting scent, Sakura nodded in satisfaction. The tomato curry was done! In the end she'd decided to make something that both she and Sasuke would be able to enjoy. Naruto would just have his ramen, of course. Careful not to burn herself, she covered up the pot and began rummaging through her fridge for something to drink. Kakashi-sensei had told them that they would be having this meeting in an apartment, so Sakura assumed that there would be plates and cutlery already there.

"Sakura-chaaaaan!" Naruto cheered, rapping on the front door.  
"It's open," Sakura called, and she heard her teammate come into the kitchen to watch her. "Did you get your ramen?" Sakura asked quickly, though she knew that there was no way that Naruto would ever forget.  
"Of course!"

Within a few minutes, the two of them were out the front door and heading towards the Hokage's Tower. They managed to keep up the light hearted chatter until they turned into the street, and then fell silent.  
"It'll be fine..." Sakura said comfortingly, but probably more to reassure herself.  
"Yeah. That bastard..." Naruto trailed off as if he didn't really know what to say. Then he grinned and shook his head. "Come on Sakura-chan, let's get the food ready for Teme. I bet he's hungry; he's practically anorexic already."  
"You shouldn't joke about that!" Sakura reprimanded, but she looked more relaxed now. "In any case, you're right. Let's go!"  
So they hurried inside.

~x~

Sasuke decided that the three days he had to wait were the bleakest of his existence.  
He had simply sat in the same spot they had left him. Waiting.  
He had barely moved the entire time. He had breathed, ate and slept in the same position, simply... waiting.  
He had not felt anticipation - no excitement either. But he had waited regardless, and simply hoped that time would pass quicker. It wasn't like he actually _liked_ being around them or anything. Not that he had missed Naruto's constant cheery and excited manner, or the way Sakura remembered little things that he had once liked or enjoyed. And it was certainly not like he had _missed_ them.  
Not at all.

But he had still waited.

When he had heard the heavy opening of his cell door, he pretended he had not just flinched. When rough hands pulled him to his feet, he refused to give them the content of a pained noise; he simply let them pull him along, swiftly applying chakra restraints as he left the confines of the cell. They did not deign to tell him where they were going - and they let him stumble blindly. Sasuke snorted with every misstep, hating how weak he had become. Hating how uch of an impairment it was to be unable to see.  
Slowly beginning to comprehend how completely useless he was becoming.  
However, he held his head high - he had little to be proud of these days, but he still would not let them strip away his pride. It was one of the few things he still had. And he would clutch very dearly to it.

He was startled when the strong arms fell away, and he was left to sway on the spot - swiftly pulling himself together, and standing as best he could; he felt utterly naked. Helpless. He had lost any sense of direction, and sheer weakness was starting to get to him. He twitched at every sound, focussed harder on everything he could sense. Slow, steady footsteps were coming toward him - and it was obvious enough that the person was making each step especially loud. Sasuke resisted the urge to strike out, and composed himself quietly.  
_Pride.  
_It was still the only thing he had left.

"Jumpy, eh Sasuke?" came a lazy, cheerful voice which the Uchiha recognized with ease. Kakashi.  
He could nearly envision the way his old teacher would be standing - slouched slightly to the left (he had always favoured his left) book held loosely in one hand, his single visible eye forming a happy crescent.

Sasuke's little mental image was not far from the truth - though the smile was not present. Kakashi's face was grim, and his expression sober. What he was gong to tell the Uchiha would definitely not please him. He shook his head with a small sigh, and watched Sasuke sway unsteadily on his feet. It was near depressing really. What had become of his student.  
He could not help but feel a twinge of regret. Was this all he could do? Had he really lacked the sense to see what was happening to his student?  
Kakashi could not help but sigh once more. It was a small, sad little sound. It was the first time in a while that he truly began to feel old.  
He hoped the feeling would wear off.  
Deciding to leave unpleasant news till later, the man slowly approached Sasuke once more.  
The Uchiha flinched at every step, and looked on the verge of attempting some sort of 'fight-or-flight' manoeuvre, and Kakashi could not help but chuckle to himself. Perhaps his year of training hadn't quite thoroughly worn off yet. He rather liked the idea.  
Deciding that speaking to the boy would either infuriate or potentially send him back over his cliff of depression, Kakashi decided that humming was a good way to fill the near awkward silence; he placed a hand upon the Uchiha's shoulder, and gave him a little push - Sasuke started walking. Albeit a little unsteadily, but still.  
They seemed to be the steps to progress.

~x~

Why anyone had decided to allow _Kakashi_ to pick up the guest of honour, no one would know.  
But the two arrived roundishly two hours later than they were supposed to, and Kakashi had made some lame excuse about having to water Gai's house plants and disapeared in his typical poof of smoke - leaving a spluttering Sasuke wracked with smoke induced coughs, standing before the small apartment door.  
Kakashi had kindly knocked for him before dissipating, and had said something along the lines of 'Play nice, Sasuke,' before he disappeared.  
Sasuke glared sullenly at where he assumed Kakashi had been, before allowing himself to slump slightly against the wall. That was the longest he had walked in a fair while, and he felt exhausted.  
Weak, disgusted, but far too exhausted.  
He would have to start training soon.  
He shuddered at the thought, before allowing himself to explore a little - light finger tips darting across the rough wood walls of the apartment - dancing along the cool metal of a window frame.  
With bars.  
It seemed prison would follow him everywhere. But he did not let it dampen what little spirit he had. Instead, he steadied himself, and pawed at his fringe a little. That morning he had been allowed to bathe (an embarrassing experience that he wished not delve back to) and his hair had been trimmed slightly. He had been outfitted in some simple, standard ninja attire - from the feeling of the course, itchy fabric, it was a hand-me-down. The bandage around his eyes had been changed too, and he had probably been made thoroughly presentable, though he could scarcely tell. All he knew was that he smelt much better, and his skin no longer carried that horrible sense of dirtiness.  
Oh yes, and now his fringe tickled against his cheeks and nose in a rather annoying fashion.  
However, he ignored it - simply glad that it still hung down low enough that it would hide some things he would rather have... unseen.

The door opened and Naruto's curious eyes peered from the gap; before (with an excited intake of breath) he opened the door wide and grinned at the Uchiha. "Hah; bastard! You're finally here!" Naruto accused. "What took you so long, eh?" He moved aside to let Sasuke come in, mindless chatter continuing. "Me and Sakura-chan have been waiting forever; and we made food! Stuff that you like - that's what Sakura-chan said, anyways..." Trailing off, Naruto finally realised that Sasuke couldn't move anywhere without help.

"Oh, uh, bastard - there's a little step, about 5 to 10 centimetres tall just in front of you. And then it's an empty hallway straight forward to the kitchen," he instructed, reaching out hesitantly to place a hand on his shoulder. In case Sasuke started to walk into a wall or something. Not because he just liked touching Sasuke because it proved beyond a doubt that it was really, truly Sasuke who was standing in front of him.

At this point, Sakura appeared just behind Naruto. "Is it- yes! Sasuke-kun, you're here," she noted happily. "And you look so different! You look-" _like a human being again- _"-better!" she said excitedly, catching herself before she said something she would truly regret.

But it was true! The dirty white jumpsuit which had identified Sasuke as a prisoner, not a human, was gone. The ninja attire seemed to bring back a part of Sasuke, the shinobi. It was just simple - basic clothing with no identifying marks or weapon holsters, and yet it seemed that Sasuke had returned.

"Ah!" Sakura shook her head quickly to dispel her reverie. "Sasuke-kun, are you hungry? We've got food for you, if you want," she offered, turning slightly to head back to the kitchen.

Sasuke snapped his head to where Naruto was talking, and flinched as a hand came out of nowhere and landed on his shoulder. In one swift moment, he had the boy in a wrist hold - close to breaking the wrist before he realized that it was probably just that idiot's hand.  
He sure had gotten jumpy.  
Shaking off the thought, he released the hand he held hostage.  
"I don't need help," he growled, a little more gently than he really should have. That idiot should have realized he didn't need it anyway - he had felt the way the air had moved as the door swayed open - noted that sharp intake of breath when Naruto had realized who it was.

Really, was he _that_ important? The very thought confused him a little. However he did not let himself ponder it - instead he let his fingers trail along the sides of the wall - wood grain, by the texture of it. He finally reached the little dip that indicated the door frame, and slowly turned the rest of himself. The whole thing was an agonizingly slow process, and he cursed every second of waiting because he looked like a complete idiot in front of an idiot.  
And that was an accomplishment.  
Shuffling himself into position, he listened as Sakura approached as well - somewhere in the darkness behind Naruto. Apparently, they were in a straight hall way - probably narrow, from the size of the door frame. He could smell something warm and delicious - the scent wafting from the kitchen. He could not help but lick his lips a little at the thought - good, home cooked food. It had been awhile.  
"That would be nice," he said softly, as he finally screwed up the courage to take the step forward. He hated not being able to see what was directly in front of him - the vastness of the unknown was making him feel rather small. He growled at the very thought, and brought his foot down - unfortunately missing the step, stubbing his toe rather brutally, and sending him slipping forward - grabbing onto the first thing he could feel. Something warm, and cosy, that smelt rather nice.  
Crap.  
Realization dawned on him rather slowly that he had flopped directly onto Naruto - and if the cool metal of a zipper was any indication, he head was somewhere between the boys shoulder and stomach.  
Oh yes, and now his toe was throbbing rather painfully. He cringed away from the warmth, but didn't really have the strength to force himself to stand once more. His legs were beginning to feel like jelly, and his head spun - stomach growling in unison. Lack of food was doing things to him. Because he certainly did not like the way he was flopped rather comfortably into Naruto. Not at all.

Naruto's and Sakura's voices intermingled as they both exclaimed, "Sasuke!"

Sakura was by Sasuke's side immediately, checking that he was alright; his stubbed toe was bruising but other than that he looked fine. Her mind retreated into medicine, as it always did when she was worried. _Was Sasuke-kun going to be alright? He needed to eat, even if he was blind his ninja reflexes were severely diminished... By the looks of it he was malnourished too; good thing they had made so much food... _She hovered anxiously by his side, unsure of whether she should help him upright or not - whether she could touch him or not.

Naruto didn't seem to have any such reservations, though, and caught Sasuke's upper arms in his own grip. "Hey, Teme, you alright?" he asked cautiously, steadying the other boy but not moving him away yet - who knew if he could stand yet?

Naruto ignored the other reason - _who knew the next time he could hold Sasuke like this?_ - and just watched his teammate in worry. The Uchiha was pale beyond belief, the dark shinobi clothing only emphasizing the pale-blue-white tinge of his skin; there was_ no_ way that could be healthy... and besides, he hadn't moved yet! That was what was making Naruto the most confused; the bastard had yet to snap at him or to try move away.

Was he _that_ badly malnourished? Those freaking prison guards had starved him too much... Naruto could feel boiling anger stirring in his stomach but quickly repressed it - there was no point in getting worked up at the moment.

Sasuke was with them, after all.

Sasuke bit back a bitter retort, managing to worm his wrists out of Naruto's firm grip, and flop onto his shoulders - as with a rather long, drawn breath, he pulled himself upright. He shuddered once, sickened to the very core by his own weakness.  
And how he had once again shown it to everyone.  
He blanched at the very thought, and unsteadily let one hand trail from Naruto's shoulder to the wall, steadying himself. Any sense of direction he had had was gone; and now he stood, nearly shaking, lips drawn in a tight line as he tried to right himself. Tried to find anything in the pitch black that was engulfing him.  
He took another long breath, attempting to calm himself. To remind himself that the darkness wasn't quite closing in just yet - that he was not completely useless.  
"I'm fine," he growled, amazed by the cool confidence of his voice. He was glad it wasn't shaking.  
He could still point out the vague direction of Naruto; instantly images of bright blue eyes and shocks of blonde hair swam his vision - and Sakura was somewhere behind him.  
That meant that the hallway was not particularly wide - so he could probably trail both his fingertips along the walls. That would be good.  
For the first time sensing the tension that was in there air, he stirred himself a little. Forcing his lips from a single line to a slight smirk. Despite having had limited social action recently, he could still pull up the cold, bland expression on whim. Or any other expression for that matter.  
"So do we have to wait in the doorway, or can I try some of that curry you were talking about?" The comment was so casual - so near friendly, that Sasuke would have blinked in surprise at himself. But he shrugged off the twinge of uncertainty, and waited for a voice - that would help anchor him. And once he had figured out where he was, perhaps his next attempt at movement wouldn't be quite so pathetic.

A near-hysterical giggle burst from Sakura's throat, and she immediately slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the flow. Despite the chuckle, the expression etched on her face held no humour - only harsh anxiousness and fear. In those endless seconds after Sasuke had collapsed into Naruto's hold, Sakura's world had closed in around her - she could see Sasuke's self-hatred and despair and she had seen what would happen. Sasuke would snap at them and close himself off, and any progress they had made would be lost. He wouldn't let them help, or even touch him-  
But then she had literally _seen_ him taking control of himself and spoken in his controlled, confident tones -  
And such friendly words too.  
"Y- yes! Come inside, Sasuke-kun, we'll eat now; you must be starving -" she babbled hopelessly, knowing that she was doing the one thing that irritated Sasuke beyond belief. But she couldn't stop; any silence felt awkward and strained to her.

"C'mon, Teme," Naruto grinned uneasily. He had watch with undisguised awe and respect as Sasuke had taken control of what had rapidly started becoming an uncontrollable situation and steered it into friendlier waters. That was his Teme, alright - always in control, always confident. He took a step back to let Sasuke steady himself. His instinct was to guide Sasuke again, but he restrained from reaching out to him, and instead used a more subtle method - talk. "Neh, Sakura-chan made a tomato curry for you," he started. "And I made rice balls! Sakura-chan's were neater but I bet mine taste better!" he grinned at Sasuke before remembering that it wouldn't make a difference. Sighing internally, he continued his chatter and headed towards the kitchen.

Sasuke was glad that no hands came up to guide him - only the happy chatter of his two teammates. He let rough fingertips trace over the smooth plaster of the wall - each foot was a slow shuffle. But it didn't matter - because it was movement. And he was in control of it.  
Somehow, he didn't quite have to force his smirk so much.  
However, any confidence he had regained over the short space of the hallway rapidly disappeared as the wall fell away - opening into the kitchenette. He froze, as did his expression - but the voices kept moving. He shifted slightly in a vain attempt to follow their direction - to keep track of the only thing that gave him any sense of security. He did not dare step out into the open - no inclination of what he would be heading into once again had him glued to the spot. Mentally, he growled at his own cowardice - the pathetic way he was acting. But he did not wish to stumble again - didn't want to reveal his crippling weakness to his team once more.  
Since when had he started caring so much about their opinions, anyway?  
He sighed, and resigned himself to twitching nervously on the threshold of the doorway - awaiting some signal as to where things were.

There was a slight hiccup in the easy chatter as Sakura realised that Sasuke had stopped, expression stony once more. Exhaustion settled over her. How could their Sasuke-kun live like this? Completely reliant upon someone, and yet refusing help. She made a slight move toward the dark-haired shinobi before a glance from Naruto made her stop. He shook his head and then spoke again, swiftly changing track from his complaints about the increased price of BBQ pork at the restaurant. "So Sakura-chan! Let's eat~! Should we sit inside in the dining room or outside on the porch?"

"U-uh..." Sakura cringed at the uncertainty in her own voice, and opened her mouth again, determined to speak more confidently. "Let's e-"

"Oi, bastard, you choose. Inside or outside? Unless you want to sit at the little counter-island thing in the middle of the room. Which would be weird, but then again this is you we're talking about." Naruto broke off with a laugh, before flashing a bright, hopeful grin at Sakura.

And _that_ was when she finally got it - usually, Naruto didn't cut her off. And he hadn't rambled on about everything in years, but by doing so now he was filling the space with sound. And, Sakura realised, even more - he was talking about the environment around them, giving subtle hints as to where and what things were.

All without telling Sasuke directly.

Sakura watched Naruto for a few more seconds in a combination of respect, awe and amazement, before deciding to help him. "Naruto! Don't speak to Sasuke-kun like that," she scolded, but she knew she didn't mean it, and so did Naruto. "Sasuke-kun probably doesn't want to sit on a wooden stool! In the dining room they have more comfortable chairs. Where do you want to eat, Sasuke-kun?" she directed this last question to the Uchiha, hopeing against hope that their plan would work and Sasuke would pick up on this clues.

But of course he would. He was a shinobi; a high-class member of Team 7.

So Sakura felt her face relax into a smile. They'd be fine.

Sasuke perked at the information - instantly honing in on exactly where his team-mates were talking from.  
He pulled over what they were saying. There was a counter in the middle of the room - somewhere to his right were Naruto and Sakura. The thought of wooden stools nearly made him reel - and surely the dining room couldn't be too far?  
He noted, with some satisfactory that not once had anyone come toward him, arms outstretched, ready to lead him around like some invalid. Which he wasn't. Quite yet.  
Deciding that yes, moving forward a little would do some good (and lessen the feeling that there was a huge, dark expanse spread out before him) he took one uncertain step forward.  
When he kept his balance, a rather self satisfied smirk crossed his features.  
"Dining room," he suggested nonchalantly, focusing on moving forward, one hand tentatively outreaching a little. When his fingers bumped into that counter-type-thing Naruto had mentioned, he clutched onto it tightly, and glanced about once more, trying to pinpoint exactly where Sakura and Naruto had disappeared too.

"Ok, dining room!" Naruto cheered, spinning around and heading away from Sasuke.

"See, I told you Sasuke-kun would choose the dining room!" Sakura said, voice getting more confident. "Come on Sasuke-kun, it's just through this doorway. Then we'll have our curry~"

She paused by the stove in the little room to pick up a tray holding a pot, a stack of plates, and various pieces of cutlery. They clinked slightly as she walked carefully towards where Naruto was already sitting at the table. "Come on, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered, banging his hands against the table for added impact. Also to guide Sasuke. But mostly for impact!

"Yeah yea, give me a minute," Sakura grumbled easily, laying out three dishes and turning to the pot to ladle out the curry. "Alright, al_right_!" she laughed as Naruto snatched his dish away from her as soon as the curry had been served. "Naruto, just wait until Sasuke-kun gets here and then we can start together. Hey- I said _wait_!" But Sakura was laughing as she rapped the top of Naruto's head.

Sasuke snorted.

" Don't wait," He grouched, letting the laughter lead him through the dark.

Naruto in content as he flopped himself into the soft, squishy fabric of one of the armchairs in the little, secured apartment. The armchair's fabric was course a worn - a dull, pinkish shade, that once might have been red. But it added a much needed blend of colour to the dingy, hospital white rooms - so he decided not to complain.  
Maybe they could paint the place - they still had two more days. He breifly wondered what colour Sasuke would choo- and froze, mentally cringing.  
Choosing a colour was going to be rather trying if he couldn't see...  
Naruto shook his head, and focussed on the bowl he was clutching - freezing at his fingers. He grinned happily as he plucked his spoon out of the bowl, and started his chocolate icecream.  
Sasuke would like blue, he decided.  
He let himself glance over at his friend - he was sitting straight, in an almost strained manner - thin, bony fingers digging into the fabric of the couch - as though he was trying his hardest to pinpoint every single sound in the room.  
Despite his thin (though now a little stained features – tomato

curry graced the edge of his lips) pale demeanour, a comfortable silence had finally settled over the three. He no longer had to keep up the incessant chatter - and he was rather glad that he had always had an 'autopilot' option for his mouth. He sighed happily once more, and returned his gaze to the icecream - content to once again dig in to his frozen treat.

Sasuke felt warm, comfortable, and nearly at home for what was probably the first time in 3 years. Food sat comfortably in his stomach, and his skin didn't feel as though it was stretched so tightly over stark bones. The armchair was comfortable enough - though it smelt a little strange. But he decided that it was a pretty good change from the dankness of one of Orochimaru's hideouts - or the fake luxury of some small, dingy hotel he would have to share with 3 other people he barely liked.  
Now, atleast, he only had to live with two. Both of whom were.. well, not quite as annoying as they had been, and better than Juugo, Suigetsu and Karin by a long shot.  
Well, Juugo hadn't been that bad.  
He let himself settle a little more - though listened intently to every sound - from the far off 'chink' of Sakura finishing the washing up, to the sound of Naruto gulping down icecream. He snorted slightly at the gusto of his... Naruto, not bothering to pause for breath.  
He let himself sink a little further into the couch - what exactly was Naruto to him, anyway?  
He had never had much luck with brothers. They had long passed being friends. He wasn't sure what.. what he mean't anymore.  
He just knew that of anyone to be stuck in an apartment with, he was glad that it was that idiot.  
And Sakura was pretty good, too.

With a satisfied smile, Sakura tossed down the handtowel and shook her hands vigorously, watching the water droplets splatter against the sink. Stepping into the lounge room of the tiny apartment, she chuckled quietly as she watched Naruto continued to smear ice cream all around his mouth in an attempt to get as much _into_ it as possible in one go. Sasuke seemed to be much more at peace as well; the signs of stress and tension from before had seeped out of him and he looked almost as relaxed as Sakura felt.

"Sasuke-kun, you want any ice cream?" she asked as she rescued the carton from Naruto's grasp and grinned at him. "You've got it all over your face, by the way," she said to the messier of her two team mates, her hand instantly at his face and poking at the quickly-melting food.

She turned to face Sasuke again as she dug into the ice cream herself, humming happily at the sweet vanilla taste.

"Wahhhh~! Sakura-chan!" Naruto howled as he dodged out of reach, brushing her hands away childishly, only to unbalance himself and manage to fall off his armchair with a rather heavy thud. He hufed, grumpily while still upside down. Sasuke snorteed, his imagination happily providing him and image of what had happened.  
"No," Sasuke near instantly declined, edging a little deeper into the cushy couch - hands now moved from the arm rest to inside the war fabric. He et himself sink down in it - this being the most comfortable peice of furniture he had ever had the pleasure of sitting on. He decided he would let the other two talk amongst themselves, far too tired to continue conversation. He had done quite a lot today already - and his cheeks hurt from smirking. Slowly, he let his sink down, unsure whether or not he could quite drop his guard yet.  
He knew it was plain instinct that made him resist the urge to simply fall asleep; the urge to take one final look around, and make sure that he had set enough traps so that even a fly getting within a metre of him would be eliminated.  
But he decided to, for once, put away his paranoia, and bury himself in the warmth and comfort of the sofa.

Naruto was drawn back to Sasuke by his swift decline of the icecream - about ready to pounce and force him to at least try a little - surely the bastard had to like icecream! But when he noted that Sasuke was curling up and making himself comfortable, Naruto could not help but smile softly. It had been a long, trialing time for all of them. They had all been through so much.. So much, and now, he was really there. Curled up like some huge kitten on the sofa.  
A huge, ferocious kitten with really sharp claws.  
He chuckled at the thought of Sasuke with cat ears, and decided that he had been upside down for far too long, and all the blood rushing to his head was not doing his brain any favours. With a wolfish grin, he pulled himself upright and crossed the short distance between himself and Sakura - quite ready to fish the icecream from her hands, and dig in again.

It really had been hard on all of them; he practically shivered at the memories. The things he had done... The things he had _thought_.  
The way he treated Sakura.  
He had let himself be blinded by wanting to see Sasuke. True, it had been his one wish all this time; hell, he had even put aside becoming Hokage just to chase him. He had focussed every second of his time focussing on one thing; Sasuke.

He never had quite remembered to think that Sakura might be hurting just like he had, if not _more_. She.. she loved him. She had never stopped believing Sasuke could be saved - and she had argued just as hard as he had with Tsunade (though probably not quite as rudely).  
Guilt rose quietly in the back of his mind; te event from Tsunade's office drawn to his mind.  
They both had equal right to see Sasuke; and his pride shrunk a little, reminding that she probably had more.  
His hand paused mid-icecream-bucket-grab, and landed gently on her should instead. He cast a quick glance at Sasuke - who looked rather content to simply drop off to sleep where he was. He would have to remember to bring a blanket out for that bastard soon - he could freeze to death, and then all their hard work would go to waste!  
"Sakura," he murmured softly, fixing her with a sombre gaze.

"We need to talk."

A quick glance at the blonde boy revealed to Sakura that Naruto's attitude had changed very, very quickly. He still had smears of now-melting ice cream marring his features, but his face held no humour or childishness. It was the face of a child who had grown up too quickly.

And seeing her best friend and team mate so serious brought a sombre expression to Sakura's face as well. Her eyes darted to where Sasuke had curled up in the armchair and a small smile tugged at her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. Hers, too, was the face of a child grown up too quickly. Yet again, the thoughts and doubts crept up into her mind - what if they hadn't found Sasuke? Their lives wouldn't be _hurting_ so much, but at the same time they would be hurting even more. What if Sasuke had never _left_? They wouldn't have had their lives shattered, wouldn't have had to change so fast. But it was more than that - what if they'd never even become ninja? That, certainly, was the heart of it all. Shinobi were risky, prone to mental problems and aggression, but also to compassion and appreciation of even the smallest things. Being a shinobi, and having all that power, was what had driven Sasuke to leave, had made Naruto and Sakura grow up so quickly.

But despite the bitterness with which Sakura regarded her thoughts; despite the knowledge that yes, indeed, if they had never been a part of Team 7, their lives would be lighter, freer - despite all of this, Sakura didn't regret Team 7. She didn't, wouldn't, _couldn't_ regard her team (her family) with anything but acceptance and optimism.

Because even though she's been hurting for so damn long, this pain is what makes Sasuke _Sasuke_. It's what makes Naruto _Naruto_. And most importantly, it's what makes her _her_.

Team 7 is the cause for all of her pain, her tears, her depression - but Team 7 is also the cause for her smiles, her laughter, those moments when everything seems perfect because she's with her team and they are all together and safe.

This is one of them. Her team is together (_finally, finally_) and they're all safe.

"Naruto," she whispered, before stepping forward and throwing her arms around the blonde boy, tightening her hold on him as if he were a lifeline and she were drowning. "Naruto, I..." She stopped, simply because she didn't know how to put into words what she was feeling. _This is a perfect moment_, was pretty close to it, but she knew it wasn't _quite_ true.

Naruto was right. They needed to talk.

"Yeah," she sighed, but she was smiling ever-so-slightly. "Let's talk. Take a seat."

Naruto, taken a little off guard by Sakura's hug, returned the gesture - though with an air of awkwardness, as a blush crept up his cheeks.  
"Okay," he muttered in hushed tones, one hand instantly going to ruffle the back of his head - a sign he was nervous. He wasn't quite sure where to start.. Though he thought apologizing would be a good place. He took his seat upon one of the rather uncomfortable, tall stools in the kitchen - having decided it would be the best place for the discussion to take place. Close enough that if needed, he could be at Sasuke's side in a heartbeat.  
And he wasn't exactly sure why that was important, but it was.  
"Ahhhh... Sakura-chan, I'm sorry," he mumbled, head still bent, hand mussing up blonde locks hastily.  
"The way I've been treating you these past few days... I'm just... I'm really, really sorry," he continued, pausing a few times, and trying to make sure he got it right. The overwhelming sense of guilt settled in his stomach, and made him feel queasy - reminding him just how stupidly he had been acting. How easily he had let the Kyuubi confuse his feelings, and manipulate his emotions. He sighed in a rather broken fashion, and stared up at her glumly - still bent over, and feeling like a complete idiot.  
"I didn't mean to let... To let my stupidity get between us, you know? I didn't mean to get all possessive over that bastard, and get us in trouble, and I'm sorry I hurt you... I just can't... control myself sometimes. A-and I know that I was being horrible... like... like..." he paused to take a breath, slowly working himself up. Ranting out apologies like this probably wasn't the best way, but once he began, he really couldn't stop. He hadn't just been acting like an idiot.  
"... a monster," he half whispered, cringing at the word.  
It had been so true.  
"But I promise I won't be like that anymore! I was just letting... I don't know... I just... I just wanted to be close to him, and I felt like I couldn't help at all. Like I've been so... so useless this whole time."  
"Like I've never been any use to him." He drew a shaky breath, and threw Sakura a strained smile, hoping beyond hope that she understood. That she could understand all the gibberish he'd been spouting.  
He looked down at his hands - clenched together so tightly, the knuckles were white. He hadn't even realized he'd stopped ruffling his hair - fingers clamping together with a near inhuman strength. He drew them apart slowly - hands clammy with sweat.  
"I just wanted... to know I could help," he began finishing, slowly, looking decidedly at his toes.  
"That he wanted me," he finished, biting his lip as he squeezed his eyes shut. He suddenly wished that every single word he'd spouted would climb hurriedly back into his big, stupid mouth, and he could go back to eating ice cream. But he couldn't. He sat there, frozen to the stool, and awaited his best friend... his sister's judgement.

Of all the things Sakura had thought Naruto would say, this had to be the last item on the list. If it even made it _onto_ the list.

For a few seconds she just stared at him in shock, her jaw slowly dropping open. Naruto was staring at his hands, and she could see from where she herself was sitting that they were clammy. He must have released enough adrenaline in his apology to warrant such a reaction - which meant that he had been honestly, genuinely terrified of her reaction. But that was silly; surely he knew that she could never hate him? Could never pass judgement on him? Nonetheless, his subconscious must have been worried, which had triggered a release of hormones and adrenaline which primed him for a fight-or-flight scenario; the sweaty hands were a relic from thousands of years ago, when their ancestors had lived primarily in forests, and sweaty hands had provided more friction for a fast escape via trees _and why on earth was she thinking about science?_

Dragging her thoughts away from her lessons and back to the issue at hand - _Naruto_ - she stared at him and her mind whirred as it processed his words, psycho-analysing every tremor in his voice, every dart of his eyes, every movement of his hands. She thought of the past six months, the past four weeks, the past few days, and she thought of Naruto.

But... Naruto had it all wrong.

_She_ was the one who couldn't help Sasuke! _She_ was the one who felt so worthless compared to him, because _Naruto_ could **save** Sasuke but she couldn't do **anything**_. _

Naruto had it all backwards!

A disbelieving chuckle burst from her lips, but she clamped down on the rising laughter to force her mind to concentrate again.

How had Naruto come to that conclusion?

Scenes and clips from the last few months flashed behind her eyes_. Naruto and herself visiting Sasuke; the reunion and the anger_. She hadn't done anything_. Another visit. Naruto's insults, Sasuke's anger_. Sasuke had only reacted to Naruto. More and more images, and Sakura knew that every time it was the same thing. Naruto helping Sasuke. Sasuke ignoring her.

Think harder, she told herself. It was important that she work it out_. Sasuke starving, Sasuke silent_... she cringed_. Sasuke __**dying**__... her medical treatment, which had been her only way of helping. She had soothed his wounds, fixed his bones, restored his chakra... just like any other medic could have done. __**She**__ hadn't done anything. _

_Sasuke taking her captive so quickly, so easily. And she hadn't been able to do a thing. She was too weak. Too useless._

Naruto had escaped from that room, she remembered. She'd never known why.

Again in the Hokage's Tower, Naruto's fury at her...

And in a sharp, horrifyingly clear burst of insight, every single action Sakura had observed was inverted and she could see Naruto's point of view. As if watching in slow motion, every second of the past month flickered through her mind and she saw it from a point of view which was distorted with pain and loneliness and _want_.

"Naruto, no!" Sakura exclaimed quickly. "No, no no, it's not like that - you... you were always the one that Sasuke needed! Never me. If I wasn't here, Sasuke would still be Sasuke - but without _you_ here then he wouldn't be here! He wouldn't be _Sasuke_. See?" There were so many things she needed to say, but she couldn't find the words. "Naruto, you..." she sighed and took a moment to calm herself.

"Naruto, _nothing is your fault_. Everything we've accomplished so far... talking to Sasuke, getting this apartment, just... _being_ here with all of us, and us all safe, healing - it's all because of you. You've done _everything_."

Sakura dropped her earnest gaze from Naruto to stare at her hands as well. "So... you don't need to apologise for anything," she mumbled self-consciously.

Naruto nearly fled at Sakura's chuckle, eyes wide as dinner plates as he looked up at her, his world completely cracking. He... b-but...  
As she continued though, he could only stare at her in astonishment, not even fidgeting. No, he didn't quite see, because this Sasuke... This Sasuke wasn't _their_ Sasuke. This Sasuke was shattered and broken, and it _hurt_. Every time he saw him, he simply wanted to hold him, and... he wasn't quite sure what else.

He'd... he'd done everything?  
He could barely take it now - she was so so _so wrong._ He had been so close to snapping, so close to simply let the Kyuubi take control, until _he_ had Sasuke. And she was praising him, and it was _all his fault._ Why couldn't she see?

He scarcely restrained himself as he launched from his chair, engulfing her in a bone crushing hug, face buried into her shoulder because she was _so wrongbutsoright_. His eyes stung, and he could barely repress a rather shattering sob, eyes clenched so tightly it hurt.  
Because maybe... maybe she was right.

"Sh, sh, Naruto, don't worry," Sakura murmured on reflex, steadying them by planting her foot against the kitchen counter and wrapping her arms around the boy tightly. "Don't worry, everything's alright. Just relax." Her soothing words continued without break as she began rubbing circles into Naruto's back, and she rocked slightly forwards and back.

Everything made sense now. Every word Naruto had spoken, every action he had undertaken. Naruto felt just as worthless as she did, but _he shouldn't_ because he'd done everything and just couldn't see it.

Naruto shouldn't feel so worthless because it wasn't true.

"You did everything," she murmured into his ear, gazing at Sasuke from over Naruto's shoulder. "You saved me, and more importantly you saved Sasuke. He's not our Sasuke from three years ago, but he's our Sasuke anyways. _Our Sasuke_. You saved him from darkness and loneliness, you made him see that we were a team, a family. He's safe." Sakura paused, a smile pulling at her lips.

"And, Naruto..." she continued reverently. "_You did it_."

Naruto let himself slump into Sakura - let himself breath in calmly, let her soothe him, and smooth out all the hurt, and pain, and fear of not knowing anymore. He let her rub it all away until he felt as though he could stand. He smiled as he drew back a little - scrubbing hastily at reddened eyes, and giving her a toothy grin for her efforts.  
" So you forgive me?" He chirped rather brokenly, voice rough. He frowned a little at that - annoyed at how worked up he was. Sakura hadn't shed a tear! One hand instantly came up to ruffle through his hair - this time out of embaressment as he backed out of her embrace a little, feeling more than a little foolish.  
" Gahhhh.. Thanks. Thank you alot, Sakura-chan~!" He grinned, tear stained eyes flicking back to her for a second, before he looked away abashedly, and letting his eyes trail slowly to the couch. Sasuke was still there - still, and quiet. He rolled his eyes a little, then turned to Sakura.  
" I better get that bastard a blanket - he'll freeze to death if we just leave him like that!" He cheered happily, some of his energy returning as he bounded from the room to rummage around for a blanket.

Lulled by the sounds from the small television set, Sasuke had nearly let himself fall asleep - but the sounds of footsteps, and the mention of having a 'talk' had perked him instantly. Huddled where he was on the couch, he listened diligently - attempting to catch whatever snippet of the conversation he could.  
Within a few minutes, he wished he hadn't.  
Damn those two, getting all emotional about stupid things. Why did they have to care so goddamn much? Had he not shown, time and again, that he was not worth the effort? That he didn't deserve whatever weird, attachment it was they held for him?

_"That he wanted me,"_

Sasuke nearly sat up in surprise when he heard Naruto utter those words. He had froze, and practically tuned out the rest of the conversation. It was the only phrase he really had heard all of anyway.  
Wanted... wha?

His stomach squirmed at the very notion, and his brain ticked away in puzzlement. What the hell had Naruto been going on about?  
He snorted softly, but quietened when he felt something soft flop sloppily over him. It must've been that blanket Naruto had been going on about... He sighed, and shifted slightly - he supposed he could wait until morning to question that idiot.

~x~

The night passed quickly, or at least it seemed that way to Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura had long ago fallen asleep, their gentle breathing audible in the silence of the darkness. Sasuke had clung onto the blanket that he'd draped over him hours ago, and Naruto chuckled silently to himself as he compared the Uchiha to a cat again - because Uchihas and cats were both anti-social, demanding, unpredictable... but would, inevitably, settle down in front of a fire and curl up. And to be perfectly honest, Naruto didn't mind. He liked cats. Sasuke was like a cat, especially the way he was all curled up-  
His thoughts were going in circles again.  
Mm.  
His brow furrowed just slightly, and Naruto wondered what would happen now. Images of possible futures flickered through his mind. Sasuke with a Konoha headband again. Sasuke eating tomatoes and riceballs every day. Sasuke's rare chuckle when Naruto did something particularly idiotic. His smirks, his rivalry, even their pointless arguments. He was looking forward to all of it.

-----x------

Sasuke yawned gently, shuffling his shoulders slightly - he was greet, as always, by that horrible, encroaching darkness and for a moment, he shuddered. It was surprising what a lack of sight could do to your sense of time - he had long ago lost any sense of when it was morning, noon or night. He simply slept when he was tired, and awoke when he was ready.  
Though there had been a lot less of the former lately.  
Pushing himself gingerly upright, he let his fingers edge across the bandage around his eyes - dancing across the course fabric, and making sure it was in place - ending just at the curve of sharp cheek bones. He let his fingers fall a little lower - feel the soft hollow of his cheeks, the sharp line of his jawbone. He knew he must look a mess - and the thought irked him slightly. No matter where he had been, he was always a tad vain with his appearance. But he supposed he would forgo that for the moment.  
He shifted slightly, and tilted his head - pulling the blankets tighter to him. Gentle breathing surrounded him, so he assumed Naruto must have flopped down in one of the armchairs near him. He noted t lack of the gentle background noise of the tv - someone had turned it off.  
Instead, the sweet scent of morning wafted over him - the gentle breeze carrying through some window. He could hear the tittering of birds nearby - and he smiled, softly.  
He could feel the warmth of the dawn light on his skin, and it felt just so _good_. Just being out of that goddamn hole, down in those pits which had slowly sapped away at his sanity.  
Not that he was any better now - though he supposed those two were having a half decent effect on him. He had _walked_ after all. And he had thought losing his eyes meant losing everything.  
Perhaps he was just.. a little wrong.  
Not that he'd admit it though; because he would be even more useless than he was now.  
He still didn't know why they wasted time on him. Effort they could put into training, missions..

_"That he wanted me,"_

The very words made him sit up a little straighter. Why was that?  
Clutching tightly at his blankets, he rumpled it a little in his hands. Why would anyone want someone so useless?  
He could no longer be the boy's rival. He had long foregone the title- though, he supposed, perhaps the rivalry had still been there.  
But now.  
Now he was _nothing_. He could no longer function as a ninja - barely as a person. How would he look after himself? His mind kept crashing down - he would never be independent again. He would be _forced_ to continually rely on someone.  
He froze a little - how could he ever think things could be better? He was a wreck, and no matter how much 'family' he had, they could never fix him.  
No one could ever fix something so broken.

_So now what?_ Naruto wondered, watching silently as Sasuke straightened up and took in his surroundings. _What happens now?_ He felt like he'd been trying for so long, he's planned everything out perfectly for when Sasuke got back. And he'd managed it, apparently (_though he still thought that Sakura had it the wrong way round; at least a little bit). _His plans had never really accounted for the fact that Sasuke was going to come back blind.

And as much as he wanted; as much as he honestly, truly, desperately wanted to believe that everything was going to work out, Naruto wasn't the idealistic, eternally optimistic, blindly hopeful boy he used to be.

He wanted, ohsomuch, for Sasuke's eyesight to come back, for his arrogance and ego and pride to return - he wanted his Sasuke to come back.

But he knew that it wasn't going to work that way.

His Sasuke, the Sasuke in his memory, was never coming back.

and then he was back at square one.

_Now what?_

Naruto watched, his heart breaking a little inside, as Sasuke suddenly froze, his body growing tense.

Testing his voice, Naruto coughed slightly and then wetted his lips. "Morning, Teme," he greeted as cheerfully as he could. Trying not to let his sinking feelings show in his voice.

Sasuke jumped at the sound of the idiots voice - it had certainly startled. Hadn't Naruto gone to bed? Had he simply sat wherever he was all night?  
He turned his head slightly - attempting to pinpoint exactly where it was Naruto was. It irritated him that he couldn't see him - would _never_ see those blue eyes that could rival the sky. Or that grin.  
He only had memories.

"Why do you want me?" he asked gruffly, voice scratchy from misuse.  
He paused though - he hadn't actually meant to state it out like that - he hadn't meant to actually mention that for awhile. He ground his teeth, brow instantly furrowing as he turned his face elsewhere. He felt stupid - but still, he wanted to know. And he supposed there was no point dancing around the point anymore.

Naruto blinked at the abrupt question, years of practise keeping his face blank (even though it wouldn't matter now). He'd forgotten how blunt the bastard was sometimes. Then he let a weak smile to his lips - though it was really nothing more than the barest twitch of lips. This was still familiar territory, at least.

But, the question itself had also thrown him. Why did he want Sasuke? There were too many answers in that - never mind answers, there were too many questions tied up into that one query. Why did he want Sasuke? Why did he want to hold onto the past? Why was he such an optimist? Why couldn't he ever give up? Why was he such a damn masochist when it came to the Uchiha?

He wanted to make Sasuke see the answer, because if he just replied, the bastard wouldn't understand. How could a - _traitor_ - understand Naruto's loyalty; his emotions? How could a -_ missing nin_ - appreciate wanting to hold onto something and treasure it forever?

He wanted to know what made Sasuke tick. He wanted to know what Sasuke thought about. He wanted to know what Sasuke treasured.

"I-" he started hesitantly (which was unusual for him; but not lately. Not since Sasuke got back.) "Why do I..."

With a sigh, he shook his head. "You wouldn't understand," he blurted out, a split second before his mind realised that you never said that to Sasuke. Ever.

"I mean!" he tried to backpedal. "I mean, Sa- teme, it's like- Well, why _don't_ you want me?"

Well, _that_ wasn't what he'd meant to say. Why couldn't there be an 'undo' option in real life! But the question was out, and there was nothing he could do about it.

And if he was perfectly honest, he really _did_ want to know the bastard's answer.

Sasuke snorted at the question. There were _plenty_ of reasons he detested Naruto. His annoying grin, his eternal optimism.  
The fact that he never gave up, not even on people who deserved it. People who deserved to be forgotten and buried, erased. People who were little more than a bloodstained mess upon the earth.  
People like him.  
But he couldn't exactly articulate it like that - the idiot wouldn't get it. Because that wasn't how Naruto ticked - and Sasuke knew _exactly_ how that idiot worked. He let his mind go without his brain, and always wore his heart on his sleeve. If he had a problem with you, he'd march up to your face and state it. But he always took into account other peoples feelings - and tread very, very lightly around those.

But this tricky, question-twisting Naruto was a new side to the canvas Sasuke thought he already had memorized. Perhaps three years really had matured him.  
"I don't _not_ want you," he grumbled half heartedly. Really, he had never been once for feelings speeches. Whatever he was feeling, he usually clamped down on and ignored. Buried feelings deep within himself, and never let them out.

Only for Naruto. It had only _ever_ been for Naruto.  
Those faint smiles, the very _very _occasional recognition that yes, the boy was good.  
He noted, thinking back on his words, that the double negative in what he had said would cancel each other out - meaning he had really, simply said 'I want you'.  
But he doubted the idiot would pick it up.  
"You shouldn't want _me_," he finally decided upon. Because it was right, really.  
"Because I'm... too... useless to be your rival anymore. We could barely be considered friends anymore... I've tried to kill you _twice." _He paused, a mirthless twist to his lips.

"I don't deserve to be saved, and no matter what you say, I never will."

It was the truth. It was also the most he had spoken since he had come back to Konoha. He was surprised by himself, but unfaithful lips continued; it seemed he was on a roll.  
"So then... why _do_ you want me? A useless, blind man, with no clan, no future, and nothing left but an arrogant pride born more of habit than actual feeling?" By now, he felt spent. Like every word he had said had carried an ounce of his life, and it was laid before him in shattered pieces - on display for the one person in the world he had ever considered anything.

_Everything._

"_What_?" Naruto breathed, unconcealed shock flittering across his features. _That_ was what Sasuke thought? That bastard actually, honestly, thought that he wasn't _worth _it? He _actually_ thought that Naruto wouldn't want him because of his injuries? His situation? He'd known for years - his entire _life_ - that Sasuke's childhood was disturbing, messed up, but that hadn't stopped him wanting to be rivals- friends-! He'd known for months that the Uchiha was blind, but _that _hadn't stopped him! And he knew Sasuke, he knew about his Sasuke, his life-

He needed to touch him, somehow bridge the feeling of _hurt_ and _loss_ and _betrayal_. How could Sasuke_ think _that about him? _How_, after so long-?

Launching himself across the room from where he was sitting in an armchair (and reflecting gratefully that Sakura was in the bedroom), he didn't warn Sasuke before pulling him out of his seat. Shaking him roughly from the shoulders, Naruto let it all out.

"You're such a Goddamn _bastard_, you jerk! How do you think I've felt my _whole damn life?_ How can you think i'd go through all this without _wanting_ you! _I don't __**care**__ if you're blind, if you're __**useless**__, if you have no__** clan, **__no __**future**__, if you're such a damn arrogant jerk!_" he roared. "_I don't care!_"

Why was he shouting, why was he shouting, how was Sasuke going to react...!

"The only thing I care about - the only thing I've _ever_ cared about, you freaking idiot, is _you_. _**YOU**_. Not the Uchiha clan, not your genius abilities, not your goddamn Sharingan eyes. _**YOU**_**.** Do you even _get_ that?"

He was breathing heavily by now, eyes wild and cheeks flushed. "You're supposed to be the _genius_, Sasuke- the _genius_. why can't you _see_ that?"

_PleaseletSasukenotbethroughwithhim, please let Sasuke still accept him... he wouldn't be able to live without that at least..._

He abruptly let go of Sasuke's shoulders and sagged, dropping his gaze to bore holes into the ground.

_Please..._

Sasuke glared rather grumpily - until he was launched upon, and shaken like a ragdoll. Not to mention screamed at - without thinking, he had managed to manoeuvre weak fists in the blonde's collar - grip tight. So tight that his fingers rubbed almost painfully together. But he didn't care because he didn't _deserve_ to be yelled at Goddammit, because _Naruto_ was being the stupid, idiotic _bastard_ now. His face twisted into an ugly snarl, each word like a slap to the face - But slowly, it was starting to sink in a little. Naruto didn't understand anything though. He never had.  
How could anyone possibly '_want_' something so useless? Were the roles reversed, he would have simply dropped Naruto like a hotcake. A useless weight was worth nothing - and would only bring others down as well.  
Well... that wasn't completely true.

As much as he liked to think he was cold hearted, uncaring, he did, maybe somewhere.. care a little about what happened to that idiot.  
Someone had to look afte-...  
But he couldn't be that someone anymore, could he? He was no longer a goal to strive for, a rival to overcome. He was no longer and barrier or an obstacle, and they had long since become something other than friends. He paused for a moment. Thinking. Before he had left.. Before he had turned their whole world on its head - Naruto had chased him. Naruto had _kept_ chasing him too - clinging desperately to him like some lifeline.  
And even now, when he was weak, useless and pathetic, Naruto _still_ wanted him.

There had always been one thing he had wanted to try. Before he had been too focused on Itachi - before he had been consumed by the need for power, and hatred, and anger that burnt away everything that had ever been. He had thought it stupid, and trivial - a waste of time an energy.  
But perhaps now, it was the only option he had left.

He cringed a little, turning his face away - one hand leaving that idiot's collar to find his chin. He pushed his head up - gently. The broken, searing note in his words made each movement a tentative step. Fingers were gentle and feather light - gingerly moving from his chin to his jawbone, tracing the smooth, strong line. He had grown so much, he decided - any trace of those chubby, boyish cheeks were gone. His thumbs traced softly down more prominent cheek bones - and he could imagine the way those blue eyes would stand out. Soft and warm, but hurt now. Hurt because like always, Sasuke had done something wrong.  
His thumb trailed lower now - tracing the line of plump lips. The idiot had been mouthing a word - but he couldn't tell what it was. He didn't care anymore either, because he had found what he was looking for anyway.  
Gingerly leaning in he paused for a second - unsure. Why was he doing this again? Because of a whim from too long ago. A whim from a boy who had been many things, but most of all innocent. Maybe Sasuke wanted to recapture that. He wasn't sure anymore.  
He was just glad that for once, he couldn't see what he was doing - because walking into this blindly would probably be better.  
He leaned forward further, and gently, softly, pressed his lips to Naruto's. It was soft, and short, and sweet and his heart felt like it froze the very second he did it. His hands tingled slightly as his thumb rubbed numbly against one of those scars on the boy's cheek.  
He drew back millimetres.  
"Shuttup," He growled softly into those lips, his tongue darting out to wash over his own.

"_What_?" Naruto breathed, shocked. He'd just – _kissed_ – him...! Coming to a screeching halt mid-tirade, he managed to hear Sasuke's order; _shuttup_. What was Sasuke _thinking_...? How could he _do _that? In just the past minute, Naruto's world had come crumbling down around him; his _life_ had been denying his worth; and now the Uchiha had gone and done _that_. Naruto's body was frozen, his heart beating arrhythmicly, his hands shaking, his mind screaming _whatjusthappenedSasukejust-_

But that meant that Sasuke –

Sasuke... could Sasuke possibly _– like _– him...?

So... his life... it _wasn't_ such a failure...? His Sasuke...

He wanted to return the kiss, _ohsomuch_, he wanted to show Sasuke _his_ feelings too, how his whole world had just brightened a little. How his whole life had started moving forward again, because he hadn't failed, Sakura was right, he hadn't failed and he'd saved Sasuke.

(And Sasuke had saved _him_ too.)

But he couldn't. Not yet. _Not yet_. He had to ask a question first. His hands had tightened around Sasuke's shoulders, and he had to pause and concentrate to resist the urge to just pull him forward.

_Why did you do this now? Why did you wait so long? Why did you leave if you wanted this? _Just... _why_?

But that question relied on Sasuke being truthful now. Naruto instinctively cringed away from the unseen flip question – _was Sasuke lying_ – because that would destroy everything. Even moreso than up until now. To be so close to having everything he wanted, and then to have it snatched away from him-

No. Sasuke had to be telling the truth.

"_Why_?" Naruto broke out. "What are you _thinking_? Why did you _do_ that?"

Sasuke swiftly turned his head away again, arm dropping uselessly as thought he had just been scolded. He dropped his head a little - fringe obscuring his face from veiw, as anger and guilt, and something that felt a little like rejection burning through him, and tinting his cheeks pink.  
" I don't know," He snarled back, viciously; words sharp and cold and impersonal. As though he was already trying to detach himself from the event - deny that it had ever happened.  
Innocence wasn't just one of those things you could take back, after all.  
And his had long since left.  
" Let go," He growled in those same, icy tones that practically dripped with venom. It didn't matter what he had been thinking because he was wrong now regardless, and it didn't matter any more because it just didn't.  
Because Naruto had been lying and it wasn't fair, and he had been thinking too much. Or not enough. He couldn't decide.

But it hurt because whatever they were now had been in that kiss, and Naruto didn't want it. Because Naruto had been _lying_ and it wasn't very nice because _Sasuke_ certainly didn't recognize this new side to the boy.  
But he didn't care anymore - he just wanted Naruto's hands off him because they felt like they were _burning_ and he felt more churned up than he had in a long while.  
" Get off me!" He snarled rather viciously, forcing his feet to take his weight (because Naruto had thus far been supporting most of it) and weak, puny arms fight off those hands. Those warm, lovely, rough hands that had constantly been reaching for him, and he had constantly pushed away.  
Just like now.

Naruto obeyed Sasuke's snapped order on auto pilot, his hands dropping to his sides and clenching. he felt hollow; numb. So Sasuke _didn't_ want him. In that case... what had - _that_ - been? reasons created themselves in his head, each more implausible than the last. But the fact remained that Sasuke _didn't_ want him, and he probably didn't even _accept_ him anymore, and his whole world was going, going, _gone_.

He opened his mouth desperately, wanting to somehow bridge the gap, somehow make amends, somehow turn back the clocks and do it all differently. Somehow, just _know_ that Sasuke still acknowledged him.

But no. Sasuke was gone; gone further than he'd ever been, even though he was still close enough for Naruto to reach out and smooth down his matted hair.

And suddenly, a little burst of anger sparked in his stomach. How _dare_ that bastard... how dare he ruin _everything_? Everything Naruto had ever hoped for, dreamt of, obsessed over, dedicated his entire life to! How could that bastard think he could saunter back into Naruto's life and ruin everything? Naruto wasn't as weak as he was before. He couldn't let this happen. couldn't let his reason for everything _ruin_ it all.

"You're so _stupid_ sometimes!" Naruto cried, bringing his hands up to punch one into the other. It elevated his anger a little. _not much_. "Why do you have to _ruin_ **everything**? _Why?_" A breath. Naruto tried to contain his trembling hands and failed miserably. "I _hate_ you, you freaking bastard; you ruin _everything_!" But by now he was just shouting so that he wouldn't actually break down. Sasuke would never recognise him again if he did.

_He_ wouldn't be able to forgive himself if he did.

Sasuke's face remained emotionless and blank. He took every insult soundlessly. Until those very last words.

I _hate_ you

His emotionless mask crumpled at that, and he flinched back - as though he had been hit. It was as hard as any punch, but stung twice as much. Not because Naruto was right.  
Naruto _was _never right.  
But because he was just _so wrong_. So _imperfect, and hopeless and stupid_ that he ruined everything and wasn't _Sasuke's_ fault because it simply couldn't be. Because he was_ always _right. And he had done everything in his power to fix things. And it had gone wrong because everything had changed. Because his _stupid, blonde, idiotic best friend_ had grown up too fast, and he had too. But now he didn't want.  
He wanted to go back, and fix everything, and make it perfect, because he knew he could.

" I don't hate you," He growled softly, one hand reaching slowly backwards - finding the couch he had been lying on before. He let himself slump into the softness of it, and let the terse silence roll between them.  
" I never _asked_ you to be my friend, Naruto," He stated, quietly.  
" I never asked you to chase me, or to try and change my mind. I never _asked_ you to interfere in my life," He listed off dully, as though bored of the topic. Already he could feel that numbing, icy coldness settle inside him. Emotions were swiftly put back in place - crushed and put back on the shelf. He didn't need them. He had _never_ needed them. They made you weak, and angry, and _just like Naruto._  
And he never, in a million years, wanted to be anything like the person before him.  
"If you hate me, leave. Go along and play with Sakura. Be a good little ninja, and become Hokage, and do whatever it is you wanted to do before you met me. Because I don't _care_ anymore, and you are simply not _worth the effort."_

He had always known right where to hit Naruto hardest. He had always known exactly how to push the boys buttons, and make him go crazy.  
But not once, had he ever thought how to make him happy.  
He was glad that those skills didn't seem necessary anymore.

That was just_ too far_.

The only thing keeping Naruto up (_alive, sane_) at the moment was anger, raw and primal. But each of Sasuke's cold, perfectly cut-out, ice-fire _burning_ words punched a hole through Naruto's chest. Everything seeped out of him. anger, pain, obsession, pride. All that was left was despair; cold, clammy, all-encompassing _despair_.

The problem was that Sasuke _was_ a genius. Every word he said now, slowly, quietly, painlessly, was horrifyingly _true_. the problem wasn't that Sasuke couldn't understand Naruto. He just simply didn't care. Sasuke's last four words echoed through his mind.

_Not worth the effort._

_Not worth the effort._

_Notworththeeffort..._

He pressed his hands to his head and shook it rapidly, as if to clear it. "No, no, _no..._" he chanted desperately under his breath. this was all a nightmare. this wasn't really happening. This _couldn't _be happening...

He left blindly, almost running into a wooden stool on the way out. Blood pounded through his ears, echoes of lost dreams and shattered hopes pulsed through his mind. But he didn't make a sound. He couldn't. As soon as he opened his mouth, he was going to break down. He knew it. Even if Sasuke _didn't care at all_, Naruto refused to lose it in front of him.

Maybe, one day in the future, he would be able to look back on this and not feel like everything was _over_. Even the sight of Sakura's shocked face as he bumped into her broke into his reverie. her words didn't penetrate his mind, but he recognised just _one _of them.

_Sasuke_.

and then he really _did _feel like crying.

Sasuke had just ruined everything. He'd trampled on every single one of Naruto's hopes. He'd punched Naruto through with cutting, sharp _icy _words which proved, beyond all doubt, that he saw Naruto as nothing more than one more faceless shinobi. he'd ruined absolutely _everything_. And Naruto now couldn't find it in himself to hate the boy who didn't have enough of an opinion on him to even hate _him_.

never mind that.

Sasuke had destroyed Naruto's life without any qualms, and Naruto still wanted him.

Sasuke was still the one thing that Naruto held onto.

Footsteps echoed through his ears as he sighed in relief. He was alone. Finally.

Without thinking, his knees came up to his chest - and he clung to them tightly. As tightly as he might have Naruto, had the idiot not run off and ruined everything.

But it was okay because it wasn't like Sasuke _really_ cared.

_Right?_

Because he had never regretted using that harsh, cold voice on the idiot. He never regretted beating him at everything. He had never regretted leaving, either.  
And he had most certainly not regretted the two times he had attempted to kill the boy. Because he had never _cared_ in the first place.  
He liked that excuse. It didn't make that niggling feeling that felt almost like guilt, go away; but it eased that horrible, numbing ache in his chest.  
_Because it was all Naruto's fault, anyway._


	7. Courage of a Mouse

**Chapter VII: Courage of a Mouse**

Sakura was through with it all.

Naruto and Sasuke hadn't spoken in over 36 hours, and, whilst she could conjure up some excuse for it - _one of their typical rivalries, maybe an insulting match gone too far _- she was still worried about it. Worried in a _you-better-stop-what-ever-it-is-your-doing-and-make-up-already-or-else_ way. What was more confusing - and, consequently, more worrying - was that they couldn't even stand to be in the same room. Or hear the other one's name.

After she'd bumped into a highly emotional, distraught Naruto the day before, she'd hurried to check up on Sasuke, whom she had found curled up on a couch. It was then that she had realised _something_ had happened between the two of them. Trying to get information from Naruto had been a futile effort; he had barricaded himself into the bathroom for three and a half hours before coming out. As soon as Sakura had said the name, _Sasuke_, though, Naruto had flinched and fled.

That was still ok, in Sakura's books. She hadn't expected this to be easy.

But to have this behaviour continuing for 36 hours and goodness-knows-how-much-longer _(besides, their time would be over soon...)?_ She was through with it.

So, after she finished throwing away the boy's dinner(because they'd refused to eat) and washing up after herself, she collected Naruto from where he was moping in _her_ bedroom and dragged him into the living room of the tiny apartment. Sasuke was already there. Sakura frowned when she saw how Naruto cringed away from their third teammate. What, in heavens name, could have happened while she was blissfully unaware, sleeping with her new earmuffs (a.k.a. the reason she didn't wake up earlier).

"Alright, boys..." she started, trying to inject some brightness into her voice. No need for _all_ of them to be mopey. "I don't know what happened yesterday, but you two are going to sort it out. Now." Her voice left no room for argument.

Sasuke had been sullen and silent, and thoroughly through with everything. He had not moved since the argument -( except for once to get a glass of water, but that had failed rather miserably, and he had ended up very wet.) and did not intend to, either. The nothingness that came with blindness was good, too, he found. When you couldn't see, you had to imagine where everything was. Imagine what people looked like, and imagine the terrain around you. When everything was blotted in darkness, it was far too easy to simply erase someone.  
But every time she said... _that_ name, he had cringed - sinking deeper into his knees, hands put vehemently over his ears.

He had replayed the scene over and over, and had come to one conclusion.  
_He was right._

But the very thought sent him reeling back though, and everything went back to that numb ache in his chest. It ached, and ached, and wouldn't go away. He didn't know why, and he didn't know how to make it stop, so he ignored it. Because in the dark, its just so easy to blot things out.

_"I don't know what happened yesterday, but you two are going to sort it out. Now." _

However, her voice cut through the darkness he had slowly been wedging himself into. He focussed, if but for a few seconds.  
She had addressed two.  
So... _he_ was there.  
He growled something inaudible, and tucked his head deeper into the crook in his knees - ignored the uncomfortable way his chin pressed into his chest, and how difficult it was to breath in such a position.  
_Because in the dark, it was just so easy to blot things out._

Sakura looked at her teammates in scrutiny. No reaction. She would going to have to do more, it seemed. "Alright; Naruto," she started, turning to face him. "What happened here yesterday?" She had to know, if she was going to help at all.

_My life was destroyed._ _Sasuke ruined everything. There's no point to anything._

The words were dully in Naruto's mind. He'd been repeating them to himself for the past day, ever since his life had shattered. He hadn't eaten. Hadn't slept. There wasn't a point. He would have been happy to curl up somewhere like Sasuke had done and just let things be. He didn't want to be hokage anymore. He didn't want to prove him worth to anyone else. The only person he thought he could even _tolerate_ at the moment was Sakura, but only just. Only because she'd been a part of his life for so long.

The being said, Naruto felt about ready to yell and scream at her. _Why did she have to bring it all up again? Why was she hurting him so damn much? Why couldn't she just leave it?_

"Nothing," he half mumbled, half snapped. He _really_ didn't want to be talking about this. Not now. Not ever.

"_Something_ must have happened!" Sakura sighed in exasperation. "I don't know. Where you fighting? I hope not. It hasn't even been three days yet!"

Naruto mumbled something, which sounded suspiciously like, "Stupid bastard wouldn't fight with me." Sakura make a small noise of confusion. Of _course_ he'd fight him, they never _stopped_!

"He hates me..." Naruto murmured under his breath, turning his gaze to bore holes into the ground. There. He'd said it. Maybe Sakura would leave him alone now.

Sasuke snapped upright, head immediately coming from between his hands as he turned to glare ferociously at wherever that pathetic voice had come from.  
" I don't hate you," He snapped viciously, in tones that would have said quite the opposite. He'd never _hated_ Naruto. Sure, he had been barely tolerable back when they were kids - but the blonde idiot had grown on him.  
But things had changed - because they _needed_ to change. Sasuke had realized that bonds had made him weak, and relying on anyone else was a waste of time.  
Naruto had proven it just yesterday. When he had rejected whatever... it was.. that Sasuke had done. Doubting every move with some sort of hidden meaning. That very thought made his stomach twist rather nastily, and he turned swiftly - crumpling back up. What point was there to lying anymore? What use was there to anything, anyway?  
Because in the end, the only he would ever be able to truly rely on was himself. Like he always had.  
That lonely thought made that ache in his chest deepen a fraction, and a lump form in his throat as he bitterly buried back into the shelter of his knees.

"If you don't hate me, why did you ruin everything, then, bastard?" Naruto cried, cutting off whatever Sakura was about to say. She was starting to look worried, though, and in a grim, sadistic way, Naruto was gratified. If _he_ had had his life ruined, Sakura should at least feel that_ something_ had gone horribly wrong. He knew he wasn't acting like he usually did, because _usually_, he actually cared about her feelings. He generally cared about other people above himself. But right now, he couldn't even imagine what it was like. He hurt too much to consider anyone else.

Naruto slammed a fist into a wall. "_Stupid, stupid,_" he muttered to himself. He didn't want Sakura's pity, but that was what she was looking at him with.

For the first time Sasuke paused and let himself think over what Naruto had put forward. However that idiot had gotten it into his skull that_ he _was to blame, Sasuke would never know. It was _Naruto's _fault. And he very much resented being blamed.  
" I didn't think it would ruin anything! You.. _you,..." _He drew out slowly; voice trying to creak out around that annoying lump in his throat just seemed not to swallow down. His voice held a hint of confusion - but it slowly waned into anger. How was this _his_ fault?

Maybe he was to blame. Not that he'd admit it. Maybe he'd been too rash. Seeing hidden meanings in Naruto's words that hadn't been there.  
His hands clenched tightly into the folds of his rough, well worn garments.  
" I wish I did hate you," He ground out, softly. Slowly.  
" That would make things _so_ much easier. But I don't, you bloody _Idiot,"_ He paused again; swallowing hard. His brow was furrowed as he tried to find the words before that sickly, throat tightening feeling returned.  
All he could think about was how numb he felt.  
Because Naruto _hated him_.  
Because he probably wished that he had never brought that bloody, broken corpse back to Konoha - that they hadn't wasted months trying to piece back together the fractured remains of a boy who had lost his mind.  
And now, just when he felt as though it had finally, _finally_ started to peice back together - that maybe he didn't have to have a purpose. That he could live for them.  
For _him.  
_And that would be enough - Naruto had to come out, and turn everything around. He'd had to reject what Sasuke had tried to do - to bridge the gap and the darkness, and the emptiness, the sheer downright _loneliness_ that he had felt for so long. He had thought that Naruto might understand - or at least attempt to.  
Instead, he had instantly asked why. As though Sasuke was trying to lie, or cheat, or do something thoroughly _traitorous_.  
And Sasuke had thought the boy could understand.  
He scoffed aloud at the very thought.  
"But you don't _get it_, do you, Naruto?" His words were filled with that same, self righteous venom and contempt he had wielded against the boy the other morning- and he hoped it would be just as effective.

Every word Sasuke said in that_ voice_, which mocked him, slapped him, burnt him with every spoken syllable, was reopening the holes punched into Naruto's chest from the day before. He physically cringed with every cold, harsh word, until he was bent over, trembling. Sasuke _had_ to hate him. He'd hurt Naruto like no-one else, and yet claimed he _didn't_.

_If Sasuke didn't hate him, why did he have to __**hurt**__ him so much..._

It wasn't fair! Naruto had been trying for so damn long, trying when _everyone else_ had given up, and he'd been so _close_- He'd tried to reach out to Sasuke. He'd convinced the bastard they were family. He'd managed so much, but now it had all blown up in his face. It was almost like... like what the bastard had said was... _true_. That there was no way to fix something so broken, so utterly shattered and ruined. Naruto had never failed at fixing someone before now; Neji, Gaara, even Tsunade. In those cases, without actually realising it.

But now, when he was actually _trying_ to save someone from themselves, he _failed. _

Hugely.

His life was a cruel joke.

And Sasuke had the gall to sit there and _say he didn't get it._

"Sasuke, you-" Naruto started helplessly. "How can you say I don't get it? I get it! You just don't _want_ to be saved! You just want to live in your _miserable _life _forever_, because you think you're so _pitiable_, so _pathetic_! You won't even _try_!" He wanted to slap Sasuke. He wanted to hurt him as much as he'd been hurt. But in the end, he couldn't. Sasuke was still his one lifeline.

"What don't I understand, teme?" he asked, exhausted.

"Anything," Sasuke returned contemptuously, sick of this conversation. Sick of the loops it was running, around and around.  
And he was _not _miserable.  
At that very second he was perfectly fine. He didn't need Naruto anyway - so he just had to convince that numb, cold, icyness in his chest of that too. He could convince himself because he had too.  
Because the alternative was too painful.  
Because if he _actually_ did need Naruto, and he was really stuck in that pitiful little miserable shell that he had become, then what could he do? He had already trained himself to act with complete disdain towards the boy.  
_He had already ruined everything._  
He hunched a little further into himself.  
"Fine then. Give up. I never wanted your help in the first place.," But this time, his voice didn't carry that arrogant swagger - it was no longer mocking, and vengeful and full of spite.  
It was just hollow, and cold, and lonely.

And broken. So irrevocably broken.

"We can't just _give up_, you know, Sasuke,_" _Sakura said reasonably. She had some idea of what was going on now: something had happened, and as a result, both her teammates thought the other hated them. And neither of them could stand it.

But everything seemed so _clear_ to her. How could _they_ not see it? There had been a mix-up, it seemed that Sasuke had done _something_ which had ruined everything for Naruto. She took a moment to consider what it might have been, to make the ever-optimistic Naruto so devastated. But she had more pressing issues to attend to. Like the fact that they were both so idiotic sometimes. Sure, Sasuke was _blind_. And Naruto was looking steadfastly at the ground now. But couldn't they see - hear, sense - that something wasn't right? _Neither_ of them hated each other.

This was just like one of their fights from back when they were _Genin_. Naruto would do something stupid, like trip over a tree root, and then Sasuke would comment on it. And then Naruto would insult him back. And then it would blow out of proportion and they wouldn't talk for a couple of hours. Until Naruto did something stupid again.

Now that they were older, things were probably amplified a bit. One of them had done something stupid, and the other had commented, and the cycle was off again... but because things were so tense nowadays, it had blown up too much. If that was it, though, Sakura thought with rising satisfaction, then all she had to do was point out that they were fighting over _nothing_.

"You know, you're both blind," she started carelessly. "It's _obvious_ you don't really hate eachother, even I can tell that. And I've only been here for ten minutes." Walking over to Naruto, she pulled at his arm until he started to move. "I don't know what you guys said in your argument yesterday," she continued as she stood Naruto in the middle of the room and headed over to Sasuke. "But I want you to listen to me, just this once." She reached out to take Sasuke's arm, pulling him up gently. "You're going to shake hands, apologise, and get whatever else you want to say, out of your systems. You know what? I'll even make it easy for you - give you some privacy, so that my eardrums don't blow out when you start yelling. But if, when I come back in half an hour, you still aren't talking, et cetera, then you better wish you _had_ made up." Steering Sasuke to stand in front of Naruto, Sakura then left.

Sasuke grunted miserably as he was hefted from his very warm and comfortable post on the couch, and forced to stand - let alone take shuffled steps forward. He shied away from her touch, disorientated, and feeling stupid. He didn't know what else he wanted to say, because really he just felt like sinking back into the couch, and disappearing.  
He heard her footsteps as she left the room calmly - she seemed the only level headed one of the three. Which surprised him, because he used to have that title.  
"You first," he grunted sullenly, sticking out his hand; that way, he wouldn't have to fumble blindly when Naruto offered his. If he even would. Perhaps it would be best to get everything out.  
Where everyone could see it.

Naruto huffed out his held-up breath. At least Sasuke seemed willing to talk. This might actually work...

"Why?" was the first word that came out of his mouth. Considering what had happened _last_ time, though, Naruto quickly narrowed down his exact question. "Why do _I_ have to go first? You're the one who messed everything up," he grumbled, but took Sasuke's hand in an uncertain grasp, before shaking it once or twice.

Maybe he should be a bit more generous, actually. He didn't want to mess this up; this one, last chance to make things right. After this, even Sakura wouldn't be able to patch things up. Naruto made a mental note to somehow thank Sakura when they got through this. Even though he had treated her so badly, she had managed to keep her sanity, and might be restoring his now.

Yes. He owed Sakura.

But back to the question on hand for now.

"I'm... _sorry_... I yelled at you," Naruto started awkwardly. He hadn't meant most of it, in any case - he'd just been trying to hurt Sasuke as much as possible. It hadn't seemed to have _done_ much, but at least it had the added side-effect of letting out his frustration and anger. Though it didn't really make him feel any better. "And... that I said... I, um, hated you." Naruto was glad - guiltily - that Sasuke couldn't see him, because he was pretty sure his cheeks were going red. "I don't. I couldn't hate you," he confessed quietly.

Then, to alleviate the awkwardness Naruto _knew_ was about to ensure, he said quickly; "Your turn."

Sasuke listened, carefully. Intently.  
He felt a little relief wash through him. It felt nice - it felt like pouring a little warm water on that numb, icy ache in his chest. It made him feel a little better, and grip Naruto's warm, worn fingers a little more tightly. He liked feeling that heat against his palm. It was good.  
Reassuring.

He paused for a moment, thinking of what he could say in return. Maybe it had been his fault; but like _hell_ he'd admit it.  
"I'm... not sorry for what I did," he started simply. He wasn't - because in those few seconds, before everything had spiralled wildly out of control, and the world suddenly seemed cold and distant, it had felt good. For a moment, everything hadn't seemed lonely and cold, and utterly _suffocating._ For a moment, he had felt all that darkness lift.  
For a few seconds, he had had Naruto. Had him _completely_ and _utterly_ to himself, and it had felt very, very nice.

Because when he had encompassed those lips with his own for the first time for _3 years_ he had felt _whole._

He noted dryly, that such thinking was quite foreign. But he knew it was true, so he let it be.

"But," he started, softly. Slowly. This was rare. He was quite certain that he had never, _ever_ actually apologized. Because that meant recognizing he was wrong. He snorted.  
For _Naruto. _But just this once.  
And he had better not get used to it, either.  
"I am... s-sorry, for how I treated you after... _that._"  
He left at that, feeling rather satisfied with what he had said.

Naruto had to go over Sasuke's words multiple times before he really understood what the bastard was actually saying.

He... _wasn't_ sorry?

As in, he had _wanted_ to do that?

And what did he mean, he was sorry for how he'd treated him afterwards...? Sasuke... actually... _regretted_ hurting him so much? Saying all those cruel, cutting words? For a moment, Naruto tried to remember exactly just _how_ everything had gone so badly wrong. He'd been repressing the memories up until now, but now he forced himself to go over the confrontation again. Who had started it? _Sasuke_. Who had messed it up? Sasuke, by turning on him. But, _why_, if he _had_ wanted that?

His question.

_Why_.

Sasuke must have thought that Naruto didn't want to... that he was looking for a way out of it all.

"I'm not sorry either," Naruto exclaimed, wanting to pull Sasuke forward and fix everything. But he didn't want to risk it, so he shouldn't do anything yet, he needed to-

_That_ kind of thinking had been what messed everything up yesterday. Double-guessing and trying to be absolutely certain.

Maybe he should just be impulsive.

And so, screwing his eyes shut, Naruto leant forward and passed his lips over Sasukes, hoping it was the right thing to do.

Sasuke wished he could have seen that idiot's expression; so he could have at least had _some_ kind of warning before he went and did that.  
Because he was quite certain that his knees were going weak and that he was going to pass out any second.  
Maybe there _was_ an upside to coming back.

He pushed against those lips, knowing that he would never grow bored the sensation. He held tightly to Naruto's hand, letting his warmth thrum though him, as his hands trembled in the tight hold. His heart was racing as he drew back a little - close enough that his lips still brushed against the boy's.  
"I'm sorry," he murmured, softly. Quietly. The shudders had spread from his hands through his shoulders now.  
"_I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry_," he muttered the phrase on repeat. It seemed once he started, he couldn't stop. He shook because it was years of sorry's that had built up.  
These sorry's were for beating him so much, for hurting him all the time. For leaving. And then for coming back broken.  
_For still being broken._  
"I... I d-didn't think you'd waste time trying to... get me back." He paused, hating how weak this was. How low he had sunk, practically _begging_ Naruto's forgiveness.  
He quite swiftly realized that he didn't quite mind.  
Because this was _Naruto._ And even though he was _idiotic, and moronic, and so completely __**imperfect,**_ he was exactly what Sasuke wanted.

And that, made him_** perfect.**_

"Shh," Naruto hushed the other boy, running one hand down Sasuke's arm. "Don't worry about that, Sasuke," he said gently. "I came for you. That's all that's important." His emotions had taken a complete 180 degree turn; a sense of completeness and warmth was spreading through him. In the end, he _had_ succeeded. Over these past few days, he had alternately thought he'd failed everything, and then that he'd won.

Now, he knew that he definitely _had_ won.

Explanations could come later. Naruto had a million questions to ask, but for now they could remain unanswered - he had better things to do. For now, he could content himself with the knowledge that Sasuke wanted him; had considered him higher than Uchiha pride. And _that_ was an accomplishment in itself. Naruto wondered detachedly how he'd thought that Sasuke hated him. He'd heard there was a fine line between hate and love, but had never understood it. Love was warm, comfortable, companionable. Hate was cold words and harsh insults. Now he knew both were passionate, both riled up your emotions like nothing else.

And he had no doubt that it was love which tied him to Sasuke. Not conventional hearts-and-sugar-sweet love, but the raw, aching love of never being able to let go of someone, even when they stepped all over you, betrayed out, and inevitably destroyed your life. He loved Sasuke, but he hadn't realised it until now because it had been hiding; disguising itself as rivalry and anger.

"I'm sorry I took so long," Naruto murmured, running his hand back up to clench behind Sasuke's back. "I promise I won't fail you again," he grinned with determination. And then, to prove his point, he leant forward and pressed his lips to Sasuke's again, feeling the Uchiha's heat radiating off of him.

Sasuke was about to grumble about how Naruto would never, _could never _fail him. Even if he was outright trying to. However, any comment was silenced by Naruto's lips against his. Moving softly, gently. As though he was dealing with a small, frightened child - soothing them softly. Sasuke sighed softly into those warm, soft _kind_ lips, and wished for all the world to stay there. He had a new purpose, he decided. Because if Naruto was feeling _anything_ like he was at that very instance, Sasuke wanted to make him feel that way forever. He wanted to make sure he always had that idiotic grin, and crazy bouncing laughter.

He chuckled softly into those lips, humming happily. Even though his hands still shook; and he decided to put them to better use.  
"Let's see that face," he purred softly, hands coming up to encircle those features he thought he'd known so well. His brow furrowed as he tried to peice things together with his mind; the strong, curved jawline. Those nice cheek bones, which were prominent enough to make his eyes shine - and the proud line of his brow. Topped off with soft, spiky hair - framing his face choppily. It was so different from the Naruto he had known. So different from what he was used too.  
Then again, he probably was too.  
He had avoided mirrors, while training with Orochimaru. He had felt branded by those clothes.  
By the curse seal.  
He had made it clear that he was not owned; not another one of the man's little toys, or projects. He was a guest, a fleeting visitor.  
He had been glad when he took the man's life.  
But still, he had avoided them - because mirrors brought with them haunting memories. Memories of dark hair, and crimson sharingan, and blood, and _death. _  
He wondered, slowly, wearily, how time had aged him.  
He doubted it would have been kind.  
"You've grown, so much..." he marvelled slowly. Softly. Gently - delicately, as though cradling some precious object.  
But the boy between his palms was so much more than that; he was the most precious thing in the _world._

"You're making me sound old!" Naruto said, turning his face to nuzzle into one of Sasuke's hands. Laughing very slightly - _God, when was the last time he'd laughed?_ - and letting a smile reach across his face again, the boy let his gaze rest upon Sasuke.

He'd also grown, though, and he certainly looked older than his seventeen years, though maybe when the bags under his bandages were gone, and the hollow spaces in his cheeks filled out a little, he would look younger. There was nothing they could do about the blood-stained bandages, unfortunately.

But really, Naruto didn't actually care what Sasuke looked like at the moment. He was far too busy marvelling over how the boy was so gentle when exploring his face. No one had ever brushed fingers across him, never mind so reverently across his cheeks. It seemed a little at odds to him – he remembered Sasuke as rough; blunt.

Sasuke had matured. A lot.

He wondered briefly what else there was to learn about him now. Who knew what had changed? What new things there were to learn? With a small smile, Naruto nodded. They had time. No need to rush things.

~x~

Sakura frowned from where she was standing outside the door. They hadn't started yelling yet. Following Naruto-and-Sasuke logic, that meant they hadn't started talking yet. She could just imagine it. Sasuke would just stand there, scowling, and Naruto would stomp into a corner to sulk. Maybe leaving them to themselves for half an hour wasn't the most effective way to get them to make up.

"Tsk"-ing quietly to herself, Sakura quietly opened the door and entered the room. When she straightened up and turned to find her teammates, though, she had the hugest double-take _ever_.

_Wh-wha-whoah-holy __**smokes**_, she thought in shock, freezing into place as she watched Naruto lean forward to softly press his lips to Sasuke's. It wasn't that it was really _that_ unbelievable, though - Sakura was _smart_, and she'd worked out pretty quickly - even back when they were still Genin, for heaven's sakes - that the boys liked eachother. In different ways: Naruto was obsessed with him, and Sasuke treasured him. But nothing had come out of it, and then their world had gone nuts when Sasuke left. When they'd gotten Sasuke back, she really hadn't expected them to hit off, since - obviously - they had too much other stuff going on.

The initial shock wearing off, Sakura reflected that, in the end, they _had_ found each other. But... this meant they were complete. They were finally together, they finally had their lives complete.

Where did _she_ fit in, now?

She wasn't a part of their world, now. She was the third wheel. She wasn't needed.

She stayed where she was for a mere second more, watching Naruto's hands slide down Sasuke's side and sigh into the kiss, before turning and leaving the room as silently as she had arrived. She didn't want to face any of this now. For even a minute longer, she wanted to believe she was still a vital part of their life. Because she was a part of Team 7, but they had their own world now.

Sasuke chuckled as he felt Naruto nuzzle into his palm; his breath tickling his hand. He could have sworn he heard the briefest creak of a door; but he didn't care, because it was probably just the wind, or simply the house creaking - or something equally unimportant compared to Naruto.  
"You _are_ old," he teased lightly, hands dropping casually to the boy's shoulders - which were now higher than his own. He didn't pout; simply snorted. He had never realized Naruto had grown so much. He would have to adjust that mental image - fix the proportions he had placed him with.

"We should probably sort things out properly," he muttered, stepping back a little - detaching himself from the heat he so yearned for. He would need a clean, clear mind to talk about things properly, as Sakura had wanted.  
He probably had to explain why he had been such a jerk, too.  
"Couch," he grumbled, but not with the usual hint of irritation.

"Oh pff," Naruto scoffed. "Bastard." He couldn't help feeling like Sasuke had just paid him a compliment - as ridiculously out of character as _that_ was -, simply because it was actually _teasing_. Not a real insult, not a cold word. Teasing, the same way that he and Sakura teased each other.

But back to the topic on hand, though, he supposed the teme _was_ right. They needed to talk. Maybe now he could ask _Why_ and not ruin everything. Placing his hand reverently against Sasuke's by-now-warm arm, Naruto walked towards the couch. "Alright then, bastard," he started, collapsing into the couch with a _huff_ of air, "I guess I'm allowed to ask my question now? Why? Why _now_, why not before... everything happened?" he asked, curiosity and a raw _need_ for the answers tinting his tones.

These questions seemed to be less important in one aspect - he had Sasuke now, completely - but, in another, ever more so. He wanted to know how Sasuke thought. He wanted to understand what had happened to the Uchiha to be acting like this now.

Sasuke paused for a moment, thinking; why? Why had he waited.. Why had he left?

He let himself be lead a little - using Naruo's soft touch as a guide as he sunk into the couch, and settled himself rather comfortably there.  
It was because he could wait no longer; at the time, he had thought.. he was growing too weak. And Naruto had been growing stronger, and stronger, and he had been falling behind. It was jealousy that had spurred his need for more power; but it was the sighting of Itachi that had thrown him over the edge.

He cringed at the thought, licking his lips slowly as he considered his next words.  
"I thought I was being stupid," he started, softly. Slowly. He had never enjoyed heart-to-heart chats; his feelings always shoved to the back of his mind.  
Whenever it came to Naruto, feelings had to be a number 1 priority. He sighed as long elegant fingers came to his temple - offering meagre protection from the blue gaze he could practically feel burning through him.  
"If I had... let in to this... before... I never would have been able to leave..." He paused again - hoping Naruto could understand.  
"And... I... I _needed_ to leave." There was a hungry note to his voice - he had _needed_ Orochimaru. He had _needed_ more power.

"You _didn't_," Naruto grumbled automatically. "I got strong because of my bonds. My friends. You," he added. Surely Sasuke could see that? If he'd needed to get strong, then he didn't have to push people away - he needed to strengthen the bonds, and fight for _them_. Not for himself. Fighting for yourself only ever ended up weakening you. As it had done to Sasuke. Huffing, Naruto elaborated. "You should have stayed. I would have made you stronger. Sakura, too, and Kakashi-sensei." Because they were like family, and family made you strong.

But he supposed that Sasuke knew that by now. There was no need to rub it into his face. The Uchiha had learnt the hard way what happened when you broke off from the Village. Somehow at a loss for words, Naruto rubbed his eyes and then said quickly;

"Your turn."

Sasuke snorted, viably stiffening. This was going to be something they always had a different opinion on, he feared.  
"Its not like I was fighting for _myself," h_e spat swiftly, turning away a little.  
"I fought... for my family. I was fighting for my _clan." _His hands lowered as he clung tightly to the fabric of the couch. How could Naruto understand _that?_ How could someone with no family... He paused, slowly. Naruto had made his own family, while Sasuke had clung fiercely to the remains of his own.  
"Y-you... have no idea what its like..." he bit out, slowly. Forcefully making himself state every word.  
"To have the memories of your family resting upon your shoulders... to be the only one... who can fix things... And then..." he took a long shuddering breath, voice cracking slightly, knuckles turning white as he gripped the plush surface of the couch - holding it so tight, so _tightly.  
"A-and then... failing,"_ he ground out finally, lips down turned in a ugly frown as he glared at the space before him. The same self-loathing feeling was wriggling up within him - that same sense of jealousy, mixed with despair and anger. He wished, maybe for a second, he _could_ be like Naruto.  
He wished he could let go of the past.

Naruto didn't have anything to say. What _could_ he say, when every word Sasuke ground out was the truth, as cold, tearing, horrifying as it was. Sasuke _had_ failed. He'd dedicated his life to killing his brother, left Naruto behind - and had come out the battle near-dead and blind. They didn't know what had happened to Itachi. For all Naruto knew, he could be gallivanting through Konoha's forests, perfectly healthy and as daring as ever.

"I failed near to everything," Naruto pointed out quietly. "I failed my exams, I failed in our first proper mission in Wave, I failed the Chuunin exams, I failed you. And I almost failed everything when I failed you..." he continued quietly. But still, he knew that Sasuke had it worse.

In the end, Naruto had reached his life goal. He had Sasuke back.

Sasuke had failed, and could now never succeed.

He opened his mouth, but then shut it softly. He couldn't say sorry. That would be the ultimate insult; the final nail in his coffin.

"May..." Naruto trailed off, wondering if this was the right thing to say. "Maybe you could start over...? Start your life again. With a new goal... and you won't fail this one..." he trailed off again, realising he wasn't making much sense. There really wasn't much that Sasuke could do at the moment, and this was just rubbing it in his face. Nonetheless, Naruto couldn't break the silence to take back his words. Besides, what would he say_? Oh, sorry, Sasuke, I just pointed out again that you can't do anything because you're __**blind**__. _

Sasuke was silent, mouth closed in a thin, firm line.

He had already decided on a new purpose.

So why did he have to be constantly reminded of his old one? He shuddered at the very thought; because the memories it brought back were simply far too painful.

He had failed his family. He had failed his mother, and his father.  
He had failed himself, and the only thing he had proven... was that he truly was weak. Far too weak.

"I already decided on one," he stated numbly, feeling a small sense of accomplishment. Perhaps he was moving on.

Eh? "Really!" Naruto said in surprise. _He_ hadn't come up with a new one yet. What was there to accomplish now, other than not failing Sasuke? He supposed he could really work on becoming Hokage now, but the concept seemed so vague and undefined after all of this.  
He'd always trumpeted it as his goal, but in reality it was simple a habit from when he was a Genin, and Sasuke was still there. Since he'd left, he hadn't cared about Hokage. Sasuke was so much more important. But now he _was_ back, so perhaps Naruto could make good on it all? If he was a good Hokage, he could help Sasuke too.  
Yes, he liked that idea. He would become Hokage and look after Sasuke. That was his new goal.  
Decided, Naruto now wanted to know Sasuke's goal. "What is it?" he asked eagerly.  
Sasuke wasn't stuck in the past; he was moving forward with this new goal. And Naruto would do anything to help him reach it!

Sasuke snorted, a rather sneaky smirk wriggling its way across his features.  
"Not telling," he answered, in a voice that was far too smug. He crossed his arms and flicked his head in what he assumed the opposite direction, amusement clear in his expression. No, he wouldn't tell Naruto just yet.  
How could you describe that just keeping someone happy was your goal? It sounded far too corny for Sasuke's liking. He would need to refine the concept a little, he supposed.  
But no way in hell was he going to tell that idiot; because the teasing he'd get in return would so not be worth it. He chuckled a little at the thought.

~x~

Sai had decided this whole process was thoroughly _odd_.  
He had studied his team, ever since Sasuke's return; careful enough not to venture too close.  
But he still didn't understand.  
Naruto had always said that once Sasuke had returned, they would be happy again; he would have his _family_ back. Sai hadn't understood, but had listened, and smiled anyway. He'd read somewhere that when your friend told you something important, you were suppose to smile.  
So he had smiled when they returned, and smiled when they had brought back that broken, tattered body. He had smiled as he watched them, and smiled on his visits to the stoic Uchiha.  
But he had left in puzzlement - which had resulted in images.  
When he didn't understand, Sai would paint something. He would paint them, and recreate the scene, or the problem, and then he _would_ understand it, because once he had something in ink, it was as easy to read as a picture.  
But no matter how many times he had painted Sasuke, he still did not understand him. He did not understand the _bond_ and he certainly did not understand why his team mates went through so much pain.  
Or what looked like pain from the surveillance tapes.  
And while Sai watched the three, whittling away time in the apartment; going through their various ranges of emotions, and fixing things up, he found it most peculiar when Sasuke had _kissed_ Naruto.  
He had found Naruto's reaction more peculiar.  
The fact that the video surveillance had limited to no sound did not help, either.

So, he decided that it was time he go down and straighten things out. Curiosity gnawed at him with a rather hungry ferocity as he left the ANBU head quarters. He did not need to ask permission for entrance - because he was ANBU, and they were the ones _really_ in charge.  
He approached the apartment with the subtle grace of a cat - easily climbing his way up the side of the building. When his pale fingers met the cool, biting steel of the windows bars, he paused for a moment; but only a moment, because that was all it took for him to whip out his long scroll, and swiftly paint the image of a hawk - the creamy ink beast emerging from the page with ease, and wrenching the bars apart for him. There was a rather loud '_creeeeaaaak_' as the bars were wrenched apart, but he hardly noticed.  
Nor cared.  
He slunk in silently, and his stone cold gaze pieced together the room; despite the fact that it was covered in darkness. He instantly registered the form of his team mate on the only bed the small apartment possessed.  
Sakura.  
He paused only momentarily, before edging closer - feet making but a silent whisper against the floorboards.  
"Sakura?" he questioned, slowly. Quietly. But his voice was still cold and bored as usual.  
He was just curious, after all.

Sakura jerked upright from where she had collapsed onto her bed, silently repeating those stolen moments through her mind's eye. She still hadn't heard anything from the boys, which meant they were probably still at it. She should have been happy, they were getting along (_more than just that_), they were making up (_and out_), they were moving forward (_and leaving her behind_)...

And then, out of the shadows of her room, a voice had called to her. And it wasn't one of her boys, coming to check on her (_why would they?_), so Sakura had - understandably - the fright of her life.

Putting a hand to her heart and ignoring the empty feeling inside of her, she called quietly, "Sai? What are you doing here?" And why? How had he gotten inside? What kind of insane timing was it, that he should arrive so immediately-

Cameras, damn. She'd forgotten about those. So now everyone important - the jounin, the ANBU, the Elders, Tsunade-sama - they'd all either seen or heard of what had happened by now. That must be why Sai was here. He was always so Goddamn _curious_ about bonds, emotions, feelings, Naruto and Sasuke.

Well, if he was here to interrogate them, she wasn't going to let him. She was still Team 7. "Don't go and bug them," she grumbled, collapsing back onto her bed and staring at the ceiling again. She sighed, wondering what the best way to get rid of the pale boy was. In her current state of mind, though, she couldn't think of anything.

Sai tipped his head to one side - a courteous smile playing across his pale features.  
"I wasn't going to. Why aren't you?" he purred happily as a chesire cat, not bothering to move any closer - and content enough to stay where he was. Technically, as part of team 7, he had as much right to be there as anyone else.  
But now he was even more curious - why was Sakura not happy? Not congratulating the other two? He had read somewhere that when someone became engaged, or married, others would congratulate them. And apparently enough to 'seal the deal' so to speak, people kissed.  
So why was she not congratulating Naruto and Sasuke?

However, he let himself stew over such questions. She seemed rather tired, anyway.

Sakura decided there and then that she didn't like Sai's ignorance. In fact, she despised it. Why couldn't he just _know_ what was going on? Why she wasn't going to congratulate them? Because he was right - that was what she _should_ be doing, she was Team 7, she was their friend, but the very thought made her feel faint. She couldn't agree with - or congratulate - something which was taking her boys from her.

She felt even worse now, though.

She was so _selfish_. She couldn't even put aside her loneliness to smile at her boys - or even at Sai. She couldn't get over the cold, heavy lump in her chest.

At the moment, she really just wanted to say, "_Sai, please, just go away._" But that would be rude and selfish again, and Sakura wanted to believe there was at least a little bit of her which was still kind. Even a little.

So instead, she sighed and sat up, fixing the pale boy with her gaze. "I'm not bothering them because..." she started slowly. "I'm letting them be alone, because they've been apart for so long, and they have so much to catch up on. As you know," she added cynicly.

Sai smiled back, but he felt a slight chill to her words. Could this be Sakura trying to deceive him again? She was far too confusing - and he wondered, briefly, if maybe she still loved Sasuke. And if this sparked jealousy.  
He also read somewhere that you should comfort your friends when they are hurt.  
So, smiling, he came a little closer, and crouched before her - smile softening his sharp, icy features somewhat.  
"You don't have to be happy," he said cheerily enough, seating himself next to her. Friends sat together. That was another tip from his book.  
"People get jealous often; but is it of Naruto or Sasuke? Hmm?" he purred again, eyes closed in happy crescents as he awaited a response - feeling rather elated with his discovery.  
He was definitely getting better at this.  
He blamed Naruto.

_Jealous_! Is _that_ what Sai thought! Sakura could barely restrain her scoff. As if she would be _jealous_ of it - she couldn't _stand_ it.

"It's of neither, Sai," she grumbled, turning her head away from his too-obviously-fake smile. It made her sick - though she supposed she would be doing it soon enough. Lying about her emotions seemed so _wrong_ to her, but if she didn't want to widen the gap between Team 7, she would need to at least _act_ like she was happy for the boys.

A sudden chill ran down her back at the thought. Trying to imagine what it would be like, acting - _lying_ - to her family for years to come, or at least until she could honestly feel like congratulating them. But then she shook her head. Surely she only felt this way because of the shock - and it wasn't that she was opposed to the relationship itself. Just what it would mean for Team 7. Surely when she got some more sleep, and Naruto and Sasuke told her themselves, she would be happy. _Then_ she could congratulate them... right?

"So why _are_ you here, then?" she finally asked, turning to face Sai and heart sinking at his expression. Would Naruto and Sasuke be able to tell that she was faking, as well?

Sai's smile fell slightly; his guess had been wrong.  
Team mates were so complex.  
Ah well - there was always next time.  
"I just had some information for you," he paused for a moment, emotionless eyes flicking to around the room - it was the only one not riddled with cameras, which was why he had slunk in through.  
"And... a proposition," he added, just for good measure, before returning his gaze to Sakura. He was yet to pick up on the rather sombre vibe radiating from his female team mate, and continued in oblivion.  
"In the ANBU headquarters, I have located some information regarding the sharingan," he let the words sink in slowly, continuing with his bored, emotionless tone. It was as though he was simply commenting on the state of the weather. But to Sai, this was far more interesting; friends informed each other of there discoveries - and Sai had made one of particular importance.  
"After the massacre... the eyes of any Uchiha, possessing a sharingan, were removed. Beneath Konoha, and deep within the ANBU head quarters, there is a vault, containing the remaining eyes," he wet his lips slowly.  
Calculating whether or not to continue; divulging this information meant he was risking Konoha's security. He was betraying Root. He was _defying_ his commander.  
Those who broke the rules were trash; but those who leave their friends are _worse_ than trash.  
Naruto had practically imprinted those words into his brain; and so now, he was going to extend the hand of friendship right back.  
"If you want, with your assistance, we could move Sasuke-kun down to this vault room. Once inside, we could use your skills to transplant the eyes. Because each set are labelled with names, we need only pick his closest relative - hopefully then his body will not reject the transplant." He paused again though - he knew that such a plan would come as a triumph to his team - Sasuke being able to see would surely fix him a little.  
However.  
There were drawbacks.  
"If Sasuke has his eyes again, he _will_ be held accountable for all his actions up to this point, and trialled. The only reason the elders were so lenient, and did not order his execution on the spot, was because he is now... practically useless. He can barely function, let alone as a ninja. He has no chance to defect again, and would be of no use to an enemy - so he has been allowed to stay. The next phase of this was to simply wipe his name from the records - reinstate him as a citizen. He could then live out his remaining years in Konoha. But with eyes again..." Sai had to take a rather deep breath; throughout the entire synopsis he had kept up that same, pleasant expression.  
His cheeks were beginning to tire.  
"He will be held responsible for all crimes, committed against all the nations he has wronged. There will have to be a Kage summit, and he will be put back in prison. His fate would hang in the hands of the five nations." He finally finished, standing briskly and dusting himself off.  
"You will need to make a decision soon, Sakura. If it is noted that I am not on my surveillance duties, it will be harder to perform the reconaissance for the eyes." Already he had a pale hand at his waist, pulling out a blank scroll; his other hand shifting to his small ink pot and brush, and he dabbed the tip of the brush gingerly into the inky black liquid, which he poised above the scroll.  
He shot the girl a rather pointed look; his time was running short. Not that he minded much, either way.  
One way would just be far more difficult than the other.  
But Sai was always up to a challenge.

Make a decision soon! Oh yes, because it was _oh so easy_ for Sakura to process everything he'd just said! There was a chance to get Sasuke eyes...! Sharingan, no less - he would be back to normal, a Uchiha in full power, and everything would be so much better, and she wouldn't need to worry about what would happen in the future with him. But if he got his eyes back, according to Sai, then he would be trialled and probably executed...

_Now_ what?

She needed to talk to her boys about it, but that would mean going to them now, 'finding' them, _congratulating_ them... and even though she had this news which desperately needed to be discussed, she still couldn't face them just yet. She knew she was cowardly, horrible, despicable for feeling this way about it all, and she knew that she should really get up and just get it _over_ with. But she couldn't. She couldn't rise to her feet and walk into the living room.

_Coward_, she thought to herself despondently.

She really needed to work on that.

But back to the topic on hand. Sasuke's eyes.

Ok. Pros versus cons...

If they got the eyes, she would be helping Sasuke. Sasuke would get better. He could be a ninja again. He wouldn't need to rely on others for everything. He would be able to _look_ at her again. But he might - _probably_ - be executed.

If they _didn't_ get them... she would be withholding information from her boys. She would be ruining a chance to help, fix Sasuke. He would have to rely on others - _Naruto_ - all his life. But he would be safe.

What to do, what to do...!

"How long do I have?" she choked, seeing Sai pulling out his materials. She needed more time, more time! This was a gamble, all or nothing... (_Sasuke might be killed, or he might have his eyes and __**live**__...!_) But could she bear to play safe, to just say _No_?

She honestly didn't know. It was the smart choice. If it was anyone but Sasuke, she would choose the safe choice_. Better safe than sorry_. But Sasuke was so much to her, to Naruto; logic didn't _- couldn't, wouldn't_ - apply.

"I don't know...!" she moaned, dropping her head into her hands. "What do I do? What do I do? I need more_ time_..."

Sai looked at her with the subtle, calculating look he gave most people. Without saying a word, his ink brush whisked against the scroll, creating gentle curves and slopes.  
" Here," He said, voice soft and bored - tones reverting back to there usual icy politeness. From the scroll, something leapt from the paper - alive and breathing, and scurrying across the floor to position itself lightly upon Sakura's knee. It was a small mouse - its bright, little ink eyes staring up at her, full of life, and curious.

" That will give you more time. Tell it your decision - then let it go. It will relay the message to me," He gave her that lazy, too fake smile once more, before mounting the window sill, and with a brisk wave of pale fingers, he was away - the eagle below the sills large, inky wings whisking him into the sky, as he stared with hard, emotionless eyes into the twilight, as the sun slipped just beneath the horizon.  
_It was the evening of the third day.  
ANBU would come for Sasuke soon._

How long had it been? How much longer did she have? Sakura paced around the room restlessly, the mouse watching her curiously. Sighing, the girl dropped to sit on the floor in front of where the ink creature was blinking at her on her bed. It was actually rather cute, Sakura thought distractedly, and she almost laughed out loud at the thought.

She was calling an ink creation - a jutsu - _cute_.

Yes, this decision was already driving her into insanity. Still, she couldn't deny that when the mouse scuttled around in a circle, then looked at her with its head slightly tilted to the side, she felt her lips twitch up into a small smile. And if just a look could make Sakura smile, who _knew_ what talking would do?

"You're very cute," Sakura informed the mouse. It blinked at her and Sakura felt a bit more stress leaking out of her. Best to avoid the real problem on hand for a bit, so... "You need a name," the girl decided.

Ok, she was insane. She was going to name an _ink mouse_. It probably couldn't even understand her. Much.

"Let's see. I'm going to call you..." Sakura started slowly, casting her mind out to think of names. "Momoko."

Oddly pleased with her decision, the kunoichi nodded to herself. "What do you think, Momoko?" The mouse spun in another circle and squeaked at her.

Just _how_ did an ink mouse have _vocal chords_? And for it to make a sound, that meant that there had to be some sort of breathing system to produce sound, and-

Oh, for heaven's sake, she didn't have time for such a pointless investigation!

She had to decide what to do about Sasuke's eyes. She really didn't want to get up, now. The world seemed fractionally lighter, sure, now that Momoko had arrived, but she still couldn't face her boys just yet. And she was so _tired_.

"Momokooooo..." Sakura trailed off, leaning forward to lay her head on the bed, the mouse now just centimetres from her nose. "What do I dooo?" Great. She was asking an ink mouse for advice. It wasn't like it could even understand her, anyways. The jutsu was probably designed to record a message and then replay it. Surely Momoko didn't actually have a conscious language-understanding brain.

But she was really doubting that right now, because the chances of Momoko blinking at her twice and then hopping off the bed and scampering towards the door being coincidental were microscopic. "You reckon I should just go tell them?" Sakura asked tiredly. Squinting her eyes closed, she sighed. She _had_ to, really. And all she had to do was tell them, and then get out, right? And with such important news, they wouldn't feel the need to tell her straight away...

Okay. That's what she would do.

And now Sakura felt like she could get to her feet and walk again. She really was pathetic. She needed an ink mouse - _Momoko_, her mind thought serenely - to get her to do what she should've done immediately. "Thanks, Momoko," Sakura said in a subdued voice as she leant down to pick up the mouse. She needed to work on that. She needed to stop being such a coward.

"Relax..." she breathed to herself as she hesitated outside the living room door. Inside was silent, which meant either that the boys had stopped, or that they were still going. One was infinitely more preferable to the other. Surely it had been half an hour? They'd be expecting her back by now. Raising her fist, she tapped lightly on the door three times, before screwing her eyes shut, opening the door and slipping through.

_Thank heavens_, Sakura breathed in relief. Naruto and Sasuke were just sitting and talking. Well, more sitting than talking, but none the less that was good. _Good_. She didn't need to pretend just yet. Smiling at them weakly, Sakura collapsed into one of the armchairs not being used and sighed despondently. Naruto's face turned from a warm smile at her to worry.

"Sakura-chan?" he asked in confusion, turning away from Sasuke to face her.

_Still -chan?_ Sakura thought without really considering it. _Huh._ But then she realised that Naruto had picked up on her mood. Not that she'd taken any pains to _hide_ it, but- what was she going to do, now! She'd been... not really _happy_ as such, but... at peace, almost, half an hour ago when she'd demanded the boys apologise. Now, she felt utterly drained. At that moment, though, Momoko chose to scuttle out from behind Sakura armchair and up her leg to blink at her again from her knee. At the sight, Sakura mentally slapped herself. _Courage_, she thought to herself. _Think of Momoko._

"I see you apologised..." Sakura said quickly, seeing Naruto's face revert back to a grin again. Cutting off his "_Eheh, yeah, we did, Sakura-chan!_", she sighed _yet again_ and shook her head. Before she spoke, she needed to sort out those irritating cameras. Glancing around the room, she spotted the most obvious ones, but she wondered how many more there were. What was the sound quality like? Would they be able to hear them talking? Well, she'd have to risk it. If she remembered correctly, the cameras were more for checking their actions, not their words.

"Sai came," she stated, remembering how he'd appeared like a ghost in her room. "He's... he's got some information for us, and we need to make a decision..." she trailed off again, unsure of how to start. How did one tell one's teammates there was a chance to lose everything, or to gain everything, or to just not do anything at _all_? How had Sai told her? He'd just dumped it on her, which was part of the reason she'd reacted so much. Yes, she needed to break it to her teammates more gently.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked again, concern flickering over his features. Sakura shook her head quickly. She didn't need to cause them more pain than she was going to inevitably do so in the future and already in the past.

"It's mostly for Sasuke," she said, turning to face the Uchiha. "There's... there's a chance you could get eyes again," she said.

Well, _that_ was gentle, wasn't it? Sighing internally - she seemed to be doing that a lot lately - she awaited the results of her little bombshell.

For they would certainly be interesting.

Sasuke had sat quite quietly after his final comment; Naruto having given up trying to get him to tell what he had decided would be his new 'purpose'. Sasuke was rather glad - because he certainly had no intention of telling Naruto any time soon.  
So the blond had resorted to flicking on the TV, just for the sake of background noise, and they had sat there, quietly enough, while Naruto chuckled, or would point out something, and Sasuke would retort with something as he tried to forget all those painful memories he had dug up minutes ago when spilling it all to his friend.  
But then he would remember what happened _before_ that, and a smirk slipped across his pale features. He was rather pleased with himself, after all.  
Because someone still _cared_, and it felt good to that.  
So he sat with Naruto, and slowly let himself soak up the snippets of conversation that floated comfortably between them; and simply soak up the company and attention.  
Being blind had pulled apart the wall, he noted quietly. The wall that he had always kept up between himself, and between Naruto and everyone else. He _had_ to rely upon them; and, for once, they had rose to the occasion. And he felt warm, and comfortable, and for the first time in a _long_ time, he felt _safe._  
So when he heard a tentative knock, followed by muffled edgy foot steps, he paused, brow creasing slightly.  
Sakura had returned; but not with her usual air of confidence. Curious as to what had made the change, he perked slightly - letting his ears guide him as he followed where she was, through the room. She landed with a sigh in the armchair.  
She sounded tired, he noted. It was odd, but he dismissed it. Naruto would look after her.  
Naruto looked after _everyone_, after all.

But she said that was ever was wrong was concerning him, so he lean't back gently and listened.

_** Get eyes again**_

Sasuke froze. His breath caught in his throat, but he did not speak. He sat ramrod straight, silent and stiff. He had always thought there was no possibilty of getting his sight back; sure, medical ninjas could probably transplant eyes - but who would be willing to _give up their eyes_ for a _traitor_?  
There were very few people _he_ knew of.  
But the chance to see again. The simple _freedom_ that brought with it. The way he could savour the sight of the sky, the emerald green of the grass surrounding Konoha.  
_Naruto_.  
He felt his heart jump at the thought. He opened his mouth slowly; it felt dry. He just couldn't believe it. He simply.. could not fathom how it could happen.  
"_What?"_ He managed to squeak out - ignoring the way his voice sounded small, disbelieving - almost childish. But it didn't matter, and his hands gripped tightly at the couch and he simply _could not believe it._

She _really_ should have done something to soften the blow, shouldn't she? Sasuke was staring right her - yes, actually staring, it seemed that his emotions were intense enough to warrant staring without eyes - and his whole posture reflected his tension. It was ridiculously easy to guess what was going through his mind. _Possibilities; sights; a new life; colours, greengrass, redfire, bluesky; the promise of independence..._

And, of course, now he'd be able to see Naruto. Sakura found, to her own surprise, that this thought didn't seem all that bitter anymore. In fact, she really didn't mind - she _wanted_ Sasuke to see Naruto.

Momoko must have done more good than Sakura had realised.

She'd been acting pretty stupidly before, hadn't she? For Sasuke to see again would be a miracle in itself, but to see his face when he saw Naruto... Sakura had a feeling it would be worth anything.

If Sasuke's reaction was all about emotion, and the whispered, disbelieving, unknowing, raw and hoping _what?_ then Naruto's was all about action. He was on his feet in an instant, pacing around to the back of his armchair and pounding a fist into the worn-out pillow. He kept shaking his head as if he was unable to believe what she'd just said. "What do you mean!" he finally burst out, slamming his other fist into the pillow and turning to stare at Sasuke. Even though he was addressing Sakura.

Well, if she hadn't been able to lessen the blow, at least she could lessen the impact of the words - the dangers, the threats, the huge _gamble_ this was - to come. Taking another glance down at Momoko to steady herself, Sakura opened her mouth to speak again.

What to say _first_, though? Lower their expectations by telling them the potential trial and execution straight away? Let them have their moment of happiness about a bright future, first? No, that would be too cruel, Sakura decided. She should just say what Sai said.

Except less blunt.

And without a fake smile.

She wondered briefly why she'd thought of that. She wasn't acting _now,_ after all. And by the looks of it, she wouldn't need to for at least a little longer. In fact, if her newfound inner strength and courage (thanks to Momoko; Sakura really needed to somehow pay her back. _Okay, she really __**was**__ insane now..._) were anything to go by, she might not need to act at all. Surely Sasuke would be happy to see her too, not _just_ Naruto. She was the one who'd told him about it! And she would be doing the transplant-

She was babbling. In her _thoughts_. Was that even possible?

But even as she scolded herself for her thoughts-babbling, a new realisation came to her.

She'd been thinking of the transplant as if it were already a given fact that they _would_ go ahead with it.

Immediately, the logical side of her mind threw up arguments. _It's too risky. You might lose Sasuke, at least now you __**have**__ him, blind or not! Surely the Elders would find out. They might be labelled as traitors. Think of Tsunade-shishou's face..._

But she knew she'd go along with it anyways. Unless Sasuke was against it - and really, there was practically _no_ chance of that - she was willing (committed, dedicated) to this. Seeing Sasuke's face actually _recognise_ her and Naruto would make _anything_ worthwhile. She'd been slowly dying without the Uchiha, in any case.

She still hadn't said anything, though, and with a huff of what might, under different circumstances been laughter, Sakura glanced at Momoko for good measure and then spoke coolly.

"After the massacre, the eyes of the Uchiha were taken and are currently being stored in the ANBU headquarters," she briefed quickly. "I don't know _what_ you did to him, Naruto, but somehow Sai decided to disobey his orders and tell us." Now for the actual action...

"He could get us into the vaults, and I could transplant your fathers eyes for you. You'd be able to see..." she smiled genuinely, just _imagining _it. The way Sasuke's face would light up with eyes again. The way he would look at her, the way he would search for Naruto...

"_But_."

Unfortunately, there was always the _but._

"If Sasuke gets his sight back, he..." she stopped, and then addressed Sasuke directly. "Sasuke, you'll be charged for all your crimes... at a Kage summit," she informed him, voice sombre. "And... I mean, you know the charge for... you know, betrayal, and whatever else... you've done. I mean..." she trailed off, giving up on making sense. Sasuke was smart, he would know what she was trying to say.

Naruto's voice picked up, though. "Teme..." he murmured, gazing at the Uchiha with a look which Sakura couldn't identify. She could see that he was struggling, too, just as she had been. To risk everything, but to have a perfect result afterwards...

And this really was _everything_ in his life now.

Sasuke ignored the sting at the mention of the massacre - _his father_ - because what she was saying was far too important for him to simply focus on the past.  
Becuase, if she was right, ten that meant he could have _everything_ again. It didn't matter about the Kages - he couldn't care less what they thought or felt about his actions. It didn't matter because he would be able to see, and if he could see, he could be _useful_ again.  
_He could kill Itachi_.  
It had not escaped his notice, that single, evil thought. It had crept back in at the mention of eyes, and it had sprouted and whispered. It had clung doggedly there, and brooded and cackled. Because eyes.. eyes meant _so much_. It would mean he could have another chance - he could take _revenge_ for his family...  
He paused, however.  
Whatever family he had had... They were _dead._ They were gone, and buried, and no matter how deep down he had always thought that if he had given them revenge - given them the _blood of their killer_ - they would care, and be proud, and everything would be right again, he knew something now. He had let go of idealistic morals, and half thought up dreams, because now he was armed with _knowledge_.  
Death didn't bring anyone back; it simply made people _dead._ Death wouldn't make everything perfect once more. And it wouldn't fix the thousand shards his life had been shattered into on that dark, fateful night.  
Revenge brought back blood, adn hatred and burning _pain._ Revenge brought with it the heavy weight of failure - for if one failed, they had little left.  
Revenge would push him away from the little family he had just gained.  
He shrunk slowly into himself - knees tucked tightly to his chest, head bowed. And he thought. And he thought, and pondered and _wondered._  
He _wanted those eyes.  
_No.  
He _needed_ them. His eyes had been everything; they had been his power, his guide. His eyes had been one of the few ties he had had left to his family. The _only _ties left. And when Itachi had ripped them from him, he was no longer an Uchiha. He was just _Sasuke_. Another casualty of shinobi - another cruel case of what the cruel, heartless ninja world could do to a family.

But he did not want to lose his family. His _new_ family. Who were living, breathing. They cared enough to fight for him, to defend him. They had followed him to the ends of the earth, and everything had paid off. And they were together now _finally_, and he had felt _warmandgoodand__**safe**_.  
He mused, softly, it was like temptation. Tempting him, to take those eyes. Those horrible, _cursed_ eyes.  
But he _needed_ them.  
He felt whatever resolve he had caving - the temptation was too much. He was too addicted to _power_, and _pain._  
The eyes meant the broken, shattered remains of his _old_ family. They would remind him of hatred, and pride, and arrogance. They would remind him of his mothers warm embrace, and his father's too-worn hands. They would remind him of his brothers smiles and encouragement.  
They would remind him of their _death_.  
But he could still have Naruto, who would constantly remind him of his _new_ family. Of warm embraces, and friendship and laughter. Of lazy afternoons spent at the training grounds, and early mornings spent sweating it out. Of warmth, and _safety_.  
But then it hit him.  
"If you went through this with me... you could be branded as... traitors," he voiced, slowly. His tones was emotionless and deep - locked in and inward struggle.  
"I... can't do it, if it means I would loose you. For something stupid like _eyes._" He practically purred the last word, as if it was anything _but_. He wanted them. He wanted them _so_ badly.  
But he had family.  
_Naruto. Sakura. Kakashi._  
And he would not betray them again.

He was saying _no_?

Naruto must've heard wrong. There was no way Sasuke could have heard that and said _no_. Naruto himself could hardly believe it. It didn't matter what happened to _him_, even if he was branded as a traitor (okay, no, he was petrified of that, but somehow Sasuke was more important), but the teme needed eyes.

Sasuke was the single most independent person he'd met. Trying to live without his eyes... Naruto didn't want to know how that was affecting the Uchiha. He'd already considered that before this. He'd wondered what it would be like for Sasuke to grow up without his sight. Trying to imagine what it would be like for he himself to grow up without seeing anyone or anything ever again.

The results had made him cringe for Sasuke's sake. Because that was truly a horrible life.

But then they had... whatever they had done earlier.

Made up. Talked. Confessed. Did that mean he could call Sasuke his... his boyfriend? But that word seemed so out of place in relation to how he actually _felt_ about the other boy. The simple word - boyfriend - it simply _couldn't_ encompass all the emotion, the pain, the fear, the desire, the love. Boyfriends were what girls gossiped about and reached out for. Sasuke was just the one thing that Naruto couldn't live without.

Whatever. It didn't matter what Naruto called him.

The important thing was that he was throwing away a chance to live again, really_ live_! After they'd spent the last half hour together, Naruto had dared to hope that maybe life wouldn't be too difficult for Sasuke. He would help.

_But now this_.

A chance for life again, a chance for Sasuke to _see_ again, a chance for Naruto to look into his eyes and tell him _everything_ without needing to say a word, a chance for everything and anything-

And he said _no._

For him, to be honest. And for Sakura, which made his heart warm up a little bit more. He was accepting - protecting - Sakura, too.

But when Naruto looked at the girl, he could see his feelings echoed in her eyes. _He_ was willing to go for it. The wins, the potential _gain_ from all of it... were too great to be ignored. Never mind the little voice in his head saying, _you'll be a traitor, this won't work..._

He would _make_ it work.

Never mind Hokage, _this_ was his new goal.

He wanted Sasuke to _see_ again.

"Teme..." he started, unsure of how to word it. He was thankful when Sakura took over again. He wondered briefly why Sakura kept glancing down at the ink mouse that Sai must've left behind. Deciding to ponder that _later_, because this was so much more important, Naruto tuned into what the kunoichi was saying.

"Are you sure... Sasuke?" Her voice was hesitant. "I mean, Naruto and I are willing... but if you don't want to, I - _we_ - don't want to push you..."

Sasuke shifted rather uncomfortably at _that_ mention. They... they would do it. They would do that sort of thing... _for him_. How could he resist anymore?  
And so, what little resolve he had left crumbled right then and there. He flicked his non-existent gaze between both of them - acknowledging what they had said. What they had _offered_.  
They were willing to give up _everything_... just for him.  
But still, he needed those eyes.  
That made him feel a little disgusted with himself. Even though he had people who were willing to give up _everything_ - their home, their village, their ties to _other people_, just for him, he _still_ needed those eyes. He still needed those eyes to feel complete and whole, and like a _human_ again.  
"No," he quipped quickly. He could not bring himself to smirk though - because this occasion did not deserve a smirk.  
"I... if. If you _want _to... then I'm willing to try," he phrased, gently. He could not hide that raw, pleading note in his tones - it was impossible to hide it.  
Those eyes meant far too much for him just to let them go.

Despite his words, which spoke of hesitance and unwillingness, Sakura knew that really he was burning for his eyes. For the opportunity to see again. Just the raw _neediness_ in his tones was enough for Sakura to wince.

Yes, she was willing to risk everything for this boy. Not romantically, like she'd dreamed years ago - a sunset runaway to true love forever. That wasn't going to happen. But she was still willing to risk everything for Sasuke because he meant _so much _to her and to Naruto. She was willing to risk everything, because she simply couldn't live without Sasuke. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if they didn't _try_ for more, either.

Another glance at Naruto, and one at Momoko (for good measure), and Sakura was ready to speak again. _Yes, we want to, we don't want to waste this chance-_

But then the door burst open, and Sakura couldn't breathe for a second, she turned to ice and her heart stopped beating because _they must've heard they were here to arrest them all and they couldn't even try and damn it all those cameras...!_ But then they simply stated,

"Your time is up. Uchiha Sasuke is to return to the prison immediately. Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto are to report to Hokage-sama immediately."

And Sakura could breath again.

They _weren't_ here to arrest them all, they still had a chance to get Sasuke his eyes.

_But they were out of time_.

Who knew the next time she would see Sasuke again?

And she couldn't say anything without the ANBU interrogating him about it later, so all she could do was gaze at him wordlessly. After what seemed like an eternity, she stepped forward and whispered, "Sasuke..." before holding him tightly. Why did the ANBU have to arrive _now_? They had the worst timing...

She released Sasuke and in the next moment Naruto was standing before the Uchiha. He just attempted for a grin; "See you later, then, teme..." But his voice broke and he turned away.

The little bubble of conspiracy was washed away in a heart beat - the cold voice of an ANBU drawling out.  
This must have been the '_Little surprise at the end_' Kakashi had warned him about. He grunted, pushing himself upright, and feeling his weak joints crack at the very thought. And then Sakura hugged him tightly, and she smelt sweet like cherry blossoms. And he sighed softly, hoping she would be alright. Hoping that _everything_ would turn out alright.  
And then she stepped back, and Naruto was there - his smell washed over Sasuke too, and the urge to simply embrace him was far too tempting. He could hear the waver in that voice - imagine the waver in that usually cheeky expression.  
He sighed, softly, because he could hear the ANBU approaching.  
"See you later," he muttered listlessly - feeling icy cold _fear_ wash through them, at the thought of being separated. Because they had _become_ his eyes - and now it felt like he was losing them all over again.  
And then strong hands were looped around his forearms, and he was being dragged away - and the icy cold voice of the ANBU was barking out orders again, but he didn't care.  
Because he was once again cast into that world of darkness and pain and loneliness, and he _didn't like it one bit._

AN; Well hello there, dear readers :D  
Naruto hereeeee 3 Ahahah, please excuse the OOC Sai.. I havn't read enough of the manga, or seen enough of the anime with him staring in it to get his personality right.. so.. yeah =w='' HE'S ONLY MINOR. AND I MEAN GEEZ. YOU WOULDN'T NOTICE BECAUSE OF ALL OF THAT HOT SMOOCHIN', AMIRIGHT?

NO?

I didn't think so. xD Ahaha, anyway, BE HAPPY I UPDATE LIKE ALL THE TIME NOW. SAKURA-CHAN IS GONNA BEAT MY BUTT INTO SHAPE FOR UPDATING SO MUCH – She generally likes to keep a chapter for awhile, rather than updating right after we finish.  
BUT I HAVE NO PATIENCE. DB AND.. AND THE REVEIWS ALWAYS COME IN WHEN WE UPDATE, SO LIKE.. YAY 8D

Review and I promise there will be moar sexy tiems? ;D


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